Chronicles Of a Self Made Shinobi
by chartreuseputty
Summary: Kumiko was born as a simple civilian in Konoha with dreams of becoming a ninja. Though she has no ninja talent she is fiery, short-tempered and has a knack for gadgets. This series follows her life trying to prove that she is worthy.
1. Riding the Wind to the Starting Point, 1

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Riding the Wind to the Starting Point (chap. 1)

Sun slanted through the drawn shades. It struggled to shine through the rusty edges of aging metal, and clouds of dust that gather no matter how hard one tries to brush it away. In the middle of the aging shed a tarp covered an awkward looking object, whose shadow loomed in the darkness. Lying on the floor near this object a girl was sleeping, her breath disturbing the dust that had gathered around her face during the long night of work and sleep in the shed. A small bell rang.

Kumiko opened her eyes then closed them quickly as the dust tried to fill that small space between her eyes and eyelids. She sat up and brushed herself off. Her khaki cargo pants leaked dust and her normally black tank top was more gray than black. The bell rang again angrily and she reached into her pocket and turned a small dial to make the ringing stop.

"Hn, why am I up? It's not even noon yet, is my bell broken?" she turned her head side to side then stopped her gaze on the covered figure next to her. Suddenly life sparked in her eyes.

She ran to the shed's doors and kicked them open with a bang. Hands on her hips she smiled into the morning light as the rays chased the gloom away. A small breeze ruffled her unkempt short brown hair. She ran back into the shed and ripped off the tarp, showering herself and the rest of the shed in dust and flung it off into a corner. Sun rays glinted off shiny blue painted metal and Kumiko ran her hands over a sanded wooden surface. Twenty foot sky blue wings lay bound to the sides and a feather cushioned cockpit hung down. "Today is when we show them what we're made of," she said.

Kumiko ran out of the shed and leaped onto the roof of Lee's dojo. She then dropped through the broken skylight holding onto a rope she secured to the edge and hung upside down in front of Lee. He was sitting with his legs crossed and his eyes closed.

"HOY LEE!!" she shouted in his face.

"Waahhhh a challenger has come to beat the master of the dojo! I accept your challenge!!...eh?" he looked into her beaming upside down face. "Oh, it's you Kumiko-san."

"Today is the day!" she said and dropped to the floor. "It's finally finished."

Lee jumped up. "You mean you finished your flying machine, already?"

"That's right," she said smirking proudly. "I tested it yesterday and today is the real challenge. It's going up with me as its pilot! Come on Lee, I need your help to bring it to the cliff-tops."

Lee and Kumiko loaded up the flying machine onto wheels and pushed it out of the shed. She grabbed a rope attached to the front and Lee shoved from the back. Both of them created a path through the forest to the top of the mountain with the Hokage faces. She explained that didn't want anyone seeing her before it was 100 perfect. It took until far into the afternoon to haul it up the mountain while remaining hidden, but soon they crested the top and looked upon Konoha from high above. The machine was positioned facing away from the village to the forest beyond where no eyes would see it take flight.

Kumiko pulled a backpack out of the cockpit and fished around for her goggles. She fitted them onto her head and placed them on her forehead. Then she wrapped a white scarf around her neck and donned a green jacket with many pockets. She turned to see Lee looking out over the edge, then turn to her.

"Kumiko-san, are you sure this is ok? I mean, are you sure it'll work?"

She laughed. "Lee, you of all people should know the answer to that question. You and I are the same. We fight against all odds to prove to everyone that we are equal to them. You already fought your way to become a shinobi, and now it's my turn," she smiled at Lee then pointed to the backpack. "But I'm not stupid. I've got a parachute in my backpack, when I pull this string a piece of cloth, kind of like an umbrella, will open up and I'll float down safely. No worries."

Lee smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. "Well, you're right. We promised to become shinobi together so, hurry it up!"

Kumiko smiled and ran off to the machine and leapt into the cockpit. She snapped the goggles over her eyes and tightened the seatbelt. She donned brown leather gloves and with her hands on the steering levers turned to Lee who was waiting in the back.

"Pull the ropes!"

With a whip of his arm he let the wings go and watched as they rose parallel to the ground.

"Fire up the engine!"

He scurried to the front of the flying machine and cranked the propeller until it coughed into motion. It sputtered uncertainly and crawled toward the edge of the cliff. Kumiko ground her foot into the gas pedal and the machine lurched forward, wobbling from left to right. The metal bolts creaked and groaned in their settings.

"C'mon baby let's go!" she shouted and steadied the nose forward.

The cliff edge was approaching quickly and the machine wasn't moving fast enough. "Chikushou!" she shouted and kicked the gas pedal. Suddenly the flying machine reached the edge of the cliff and fell nose first toward the bottom. Kumiko grabbed the lever and pulled it back with all her might. Just before it hit the treetops the wings filled with air and lurched into the sky.

A gust of wind flew it high into the air and she shouted her victory. Behind her on the cliff side Lee was shouting and pumping his fists in the air and she laughed as his small green figure jumping up and down. Turning back to face ahead of her she felt the wind on her face.

Kumiko patted the side of the machine. "Success."

For the rest of the day she practiced turning, rising and falling, and memorizing the ways of the winds. She taught her hands to feel when the wind could take over and let her glide forward without using gas and how to drop from the drafts. Though it was her first time out she was almost an expert with the feel of her flying machine, after all she had made it with her own two hands.

The sun had almost dropped behind the trees and she turned back toward the cliffs to land. She reluctantly positioned herself over the airstrip Lee had set up in her absence, regretting leaving the skies. As it neared the ground she gently pulled up on the lever so the nose was facing the air and the wheels touched the ground, bounced, then rolled ahead. Eager to meet Lee she jammed on the breaks and the plane spun around and skidded to a halt.

Kumiko leapt out of the cockpit and removed her goggles, placing them on her forehead. Her face was red with wind burn and slightly sooty from the plane's exhaust. Lee ran at her and swept her into a bone crunching hug.

"You did it! You did it Kumiko-san! You really are a genius! The Hokage will have no choice but to see your worth as a ninja now."

He pulled away from the hug and kept and arm around her shoulders. They both stared up at the magnificent flying machine as the last rays faded. It was too late to try and bring the machine back down the hill so the two friends pulled out blankets and slept on the ground under the machine's sheltering wing.


	2. Riding the Wind to the Starting Point, 2

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Riding the Wind to the Starting Point (chap.2)

At noon the next day a small group of people was standing a little ways from the machine. Kumiko opened her eyes to find Lee energetically pointing and gesturing at the machine and her name being mentioned many times.

The sound of displaced air popped behind her and she turned to face the famous copy-ninja, Hatake Kakashi, crouching beside her.

"That's quite a thing you got there," he said and gazed up at the flying machine.

Kumiko smiled and stood up, then hopped into the cockpit. "It's a flying machine. I made it myself."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"It's a success," she added.

He scratched his chin. "Really, now?"

Kumiko frowned and started wiping clean the levers with a cloth. "I thought it would be useful for messages or something like that. It flies faster than a bird and swifter than a ninja on foot."

The crowd parted for a figure that approached the flying machine. Tsunade stomped over to Kumiko and pointed a finger. "What's all this commotion about?" She then noticed the machine. "What is that?"

"It's my flying machine," Kumiko said quickly. "I built it, and it's fast and in working condition. I made it for the village, and I'll take it wherever you need it to be!"

Tsunade's face softened and looked down at Kumiko, her face dirty and sleepy. "Her name is Mikomi," Kumiko said softly.

The Fifth's eyes looked sad and she turned away. "Kumiko, I know how much you want to become a ninja. This machine is impressive, but we simply cannot let non-shinobi take on our missions. I'm sure you're flying machine will be a great help to us, but not for the ninja."

Kumiko looked to Lee and the crowd that was listening raptly to everything he was telling them. She remembered watching him train at the academy, enduring the nickname of drop-out, continuously failing to perform any sort of ninjutsu. She remembered the day he graduated, with everyone else in his class, not one step below, but right there with all of them. She also remembered when he found her in the shed later that day.

"_Why do you look so sad, Kumiko-san?" he asked her, sitting down._

_She turned her face away to hide the tiny droplet of water than rolled down her cheek. "Why would this town need me, when it's got all the ninja here to protect it? Why do you need me anymore, now that you've become a protector, and I've been left behind?"_

_Lee giggled. "Is that why you're sad?"_

_She turned back at him, surprised. Why was he laughing?_

"_You have a dream don't you? You have a big one. I know, it because I have one too. How about we make a promise? We'll realize our dream together. In the future our names will be spoken with awe to all those people who have dreams to be what others think they shouldn't. We'll be the team of self-made shinobi, the team of will and hard-work. What do you say, ne?" _

_He gave her a thumbs up and smiled with a glint of his teeth. She giggled at his silly pose and he laughed. _

Kumiko hopped back into the cockpit and propped her feet up on the nose of her flying machine, then sighed. "Well, sooner or later I'll become a shinobi. You won't be able to deny it forever. Look, already I have my own fan club," she said and pointed to the crowd.

The Hokage agreed to let Kumiko keep her plane on top of the mountain. Once the crowd dispersed and Lee left to train she trekked back into the town for lunch. She whistled to keep her hopes alive; she would show everyone.

She entered a small shop and sat down at an empty table, then furrowed her brows. _What is __he__ doing here? _The figure rose from the table across the room and approached her, paying her no attention. She turned away and looked at the menu on the wall.

"I admire your perseverance, but your destiny cries out against you from all angles." Hyuuga, Neji.

"What I do is none of your business."

Neji placed a hand on the table and stared out the door onto the busy street. She always avoided his eyes, knowing they could see right through her. He always found a way to tear her hope to pieces. His face was expressionless, as always. Who knew what he really thought? Maybe those who can see through others learn how to conceal themselves. He was always there, waiting for her when she got too full of herself

"Neji," she said and he turned to look at her. "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."

He frowned and marched out of the shop and down the street. If there was anyone she wanted to prove wrong, it was Hyuuga Neji.

For the rest of the day she watched the clouds on top of Lee's dojo and listened to his lonely training. Tenten came in the later afternoon, probably out of pity, and sparred for awhile. Soon his shouts turned into snores and the sun fell behind the trees. The stars emerged one by one, two by two, then flickered all at once. Kumiko turned to the Hokage mountain and tried to locate Mikomi, but it was too dark.

Impatiently she tapped her finger on her stomach. Soon, soon…


	3. Riding the Wind to the Starting Point, 3

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Riding the Wind to the Starting Point (chap.3)

She woke to a soft cry in the night. It was the eagle calling the Jounin and Chuunin to a meeting. Something urgent was happening. Kumiko leaped off the roof and dashed through the streets to the Hokage's mansion. At the bottom she shot a grappling hook to the top of the building and climbed hand over hand to the top, and peeked in through the window.

The Fifth's mouth was moving but she couldn't hear the words, so she scampered to the rooftop, unscrewed the skylight and dropped into the attic, then pressed her ear onto the floor to hear muffled voices.

"The Hidden Village of Rain has gotten cocky. Since when do they have enough power to take on the Sand?" said a voice.

"The Sand has lost their Kazekage, remember? They don't have too many high level ninja, and the village of Rain is taking advantage of this," Kakashi's voice replied.

"We must send reinforcements immediately, but I fear we won't reach the village in time. The message states they have almost been overrun already."

Kumiko sucked in her breath. This was her chance. She scrambled out of the attic and swung down from the rooftops and ran back to her shed. Once there she packed her bag and grabbed her goggles, then stealthily snuck to the cliff top. She would fly to the Sand by morning and attack from the air. This would show her worth for sure.

She released the wings and filled up the gas tank and bundled herself up. Mikomi was already loaded with everything she would need for an air battle, Kumiko made sure of it the moment she it was finished. When she turned the propeller she winced at the loud noise it made, and was readying to jump into the cockpit when a hand grabbed her arm.

"Where are you going?" a voice said urgently.

"Lee…the Sand is under attack. I'm going to prove my worth by saving the town," she answered to Lee's blurry figure.

"Take me with you."

"No."

"A ninja never goes alone," he shouted at her, gripping her arm tighter. "Friends never leave friends behind. I'll tie myself to the side of the plane if you don't let me go!"

Tears shimmered on his face in the moonlight and Kumiko was taken aback. Was he really that worried? She couldn't imagine the terror he must feel about boarding that plane and riding it into battle. He really was a faithful friend. She smiled and threw an extra pair of goggles into his hands. "Come on, hurry up!"

He sniffled and followed her into the cockpit. She grabbed a rope and tied it around his waist and the other end to the cockpit.

"You have to sit behind me and hold on. If we go down, cut the rope, and don't let me go!"

There were shouts behind them and several figures emerged from the stairs. Neji, followed by Tsunade and several of the Jounin were rushing toward them, yelling.

Kumiko jammed the gas pedal and Mikomi lurched forward. They plummeted off the side of the cliff and Lee screamed in terror. She yanked up the lever until they whooshed into the sky. Mikomi steadied herself, catching an updraft to gently rise high above the trees. Back on the cliff tops the figures were shouting, but Kumiko and Lee couldn't hear their words.

"Wow," Lee said over the thrumming engine. "It really is amazing up here."

By midnight Lee had fallen asleep. His soft breathing tickled the back of her neck but also kept her awake. He was holding onto her tightly; even in sleep he remembered what she told him. She reached into her pocket and ate a rice ball to keep herself awake, it would be a long night, and an even longer day.

She shook Lee in the morning. "We're almost there."

He awoke immediately and looked around. "I can see the village. There's smoke coming from it!"

Kumiko squinted in the sunlight to try and catch action in the town, but was distracted. "What's that?"

Below them on the ground a figure was running through the forest. Wearing all black with something large wrapped into bandages on his back he ran like a mad-man, tripping over fallen things in the path. He was obviously tired.

"That's Kankuro, one of the Sand siblings, fly lower!" Lee said.

Kankuro looked up and yelped in terror at the hovering aircraft. He sped up to try to get away but Lee leaned over the side and shouted. "Hoy, Kankuro! It's Lee, remember from the Chuunin exams!"

Kankuro looked up, confused. "What the hell is that?" he screamed at them.

Kumiko was getting impatient so she shoved Lee back into the cockpit. "We're the reinforcements from Konoha! Hop on board; we'll get you to the village faster!"

Lee rummaged around for the rope ladder and hung it down over the side.

"What the…no way!" Kankuro shouted back, ignoring the ladder. "There's no way you're getting me into that thing!"

"What are you, afraid?" Kumiko taunted. "This is no time for that, we gotta get there quickly. So get the hell on!"

Kankuro reluctantly grabbed a hold of the ladder and yelped when the plane lifted. Mikomi tried to climb in the air but she wouldn't rise and started to glide back toward the ground. Kumiko banged on the gas pedal and pulled the levers. "No good it's too heavy," she said to Lee. "Someone has to get off."

Lee immediately cut the rope tying him to the plane. "He needs to be there more than I do," he said while pulling up the ladder. Hand over hand he yanked Kankuro into the cockpit. "I'm going down; I'll meet you there!"

Holding the ladder in a death grip Lee leaped off the plane and swung from the bottom. Kumiko lowered it so his legs skidded on the ground and he jumped off, rolling on the path and kicking up dust. Once she saw he was safe Kumiko climbed back into the sky.

"HOLY CRAP!" Kankuro yelled.

"Shut up and hold onto me," Kumiko said and Kankuro held on for dear life.

As they neared the village Kankuro gasped. "Chikushou! I should have been here, I should have left sooner when I felt that something was wrong."

Kumiko circled around the edge of the village and looked in. People were running every which way, screaming in terror. The Rain had gotten inside before the civilians could be evacuated. Some were infiltrating the Kazakage's mansion and others were rounding up the villagers. Fire and smoke filled the streets, along with blood and the ringing of metal on metal.

Kumiko spotted the enemy setting up catapults on the tops of the walls, undoubtedly aiming for the mansion. She turned around to Kankuro who was eyeing the sight in horror. She shoved Lee's goggles onto his face and tightened the straps. "Take the steering," she said.

He looked at her wide-eyed. "N…nani?"

"Just do it or watch your village burn! The left one controls direction and the right altitude. Keep it circling around the edges."

She secured rope to her waist and leapt onto the back of the plane.

"You're crazy!" Kankuro shouted, fumbling for the levers.

Mikomi shot into the middle of the village and wobbled in the air. People on the ground pointed up at the plane and others fell to the ground and shielded their heads. Kumiko yanked open a compartment on the back and pulled out a large metal cylinder. She then climbed over Kankuro and onto the front of the plane and laid down.

The plane flew zig-zag through the air as Kankuro tried desperately to keep it from hitting anything.

"Bring it back to the cliffs!"

Kankuro yanked on the left lever and it turned sharply to the right, almost dislodging Kumiko in the process. "Baka! Gently will you?"

She propped the back of the cylinder on her shoulder and closed one eye. She targeted the catapult in front of her and held her arm as steady as she could. Then she flipped a metal trigger with her thumb and a giant metal bullet ripped through the air, trailing fire.

The backlash threw Kumiko backwards and off the side of the plane. The rope around her waist caught her and tugged painfully on her stomach. Holding onto the gun tightly she looked at the cliff tops to see the catapult up in flames and people running for their lives.

"I got it!"

Kankuro swerved before he hit the cliff and Kumiko swung back and forth under the plane. He poked his head over the side. "Ahh, you crazy woman! Get the hell back up here!"

She grinned at him and climbed up the rope and back into the cockpit. "Hold this," she said and shoved the gun in his face. He let go of the levers and the plane started to nose dive through the air. Kumiko grabbed them and steadied the plane. She placed her feet on the levers and held them steady while rummaging for more rope in the cockpit.

She handed Kankuro the levers once again and crawled back onto the front, and he watched in awe as she tied herself down so only her arms could move. "YOSH!"

Kankuro had been so terrified he didn't have a time to consider what was going on. The girl in front of him, whoever she was, with goggles and wild blue eyes, was absolutely insane. Yet fearless. Maybe she would save the village after all. He turned the plane to face the next catapult and Kumiko aimed. This time the roped held onto her, cutting off her circulation from the backlash, keeping her aboard.

The catapult exploded into flames. "One more!" she shouted back at him and he swerved toward the other one. She aimed, fired, and Kankuro yanked on the altitude lever to avod dragging the plane through the spouting wreckage. As Mikomi once again turned to face the center of the village Kumiko heard Kankuro cry out and followed his pointing finger.

"Gaara!"

The top of the Kazekage mansion was covered in small figures, all of them grouped together and facing a solitary one.

"My brother!" Kankuro shouted.


	4. Riding the Wind to the Starting Point, 4

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Riding the Wind to the Starting Point (chap.4)

Kumiko immediately unraveled part of the rope and crawled back toward Kankuro. She shoved the huge gun behind him so it was wedged firmly under the cockpit, then kicked open another compartment and pulled out a long skinny gun. "Circle that mansion," she told Kankuro.

Back on the front of the plane she secured herself to the underside and aimed the rifle at the midst of the crowd. She waited as the plane inched forward and saw dozens of pairs of eyes staring at her. Kankuro's brother, Gaara, was staring as well, eyes wide in shock. Then she let go.

Gun shots littered the air as the ninja on the roof began to fall. Some looked around, not able to understand what was killing their comrades. Mikomi whizzed over their heads and they all fell to the ground shielding their heads. They circled tightly and swooped in for another attack. Kumiko let go again and shot most of the ninja down, and chasing the others off the side of the roof. Only Gaara was left standing.

Kumiko whooped in victory then heard Kankuro scream from above. Looking up, she saw a giant hole ripped in one of the wings and the remnants of an explosive note fluttering into the cockpit. Mikomi trembled.

Kumiko dragged herself back onto the plane and fell into the cockpit. Kankuro was gripping the levers tightly and staring up at the wings. She pried his hands away and tried to level the plane, but it was slowly losing altitude and facing toward the ground.

She tightened the straps on her pack and shook Kankuro out of his paralysis. "We're jumping."

He looked at her with terror-filled eyes. She tied a rope around them so they were facing each other. "Just hold onto me and we'll be fine."

She shoved herself over the edge, dragging Kankuro along with her and they plummeted toward the ground. Immediately she pulled a string on her pack and the parachute opened. It yanked on them painfully as the cloth filled with air, and the plummet slowed to a gentle float.

In the air, Kumiko felt as though she was finally realizing what had just happened. She was quite proud that her confidence hadn't shattered during the incredibly dangerous flight, but maybe she just couldn't process everything. Mikomi was diving headfirst toward the village, trailing debris and fire; she exploded before hitting the ground then landed with a sound that rang in Kumiko's ears. She wasn't worried, though, Mikomi would live again.

Kankuro opened his eyes. "You…are…insane…" he said.

She turned to him and accidentally smacked foreheads. "Ow…well, without me your little village would have been razed to the ground."

He smiled at her as she looked back at the ground. "You're bigger than me; you'll have to land."

In his silence she turned back and bunked foreheads again. "Ow...would you quit with your head being so close?"

He simply continued to smile at her. "What? What's your problem?"

They were interrupted by a loud noise and something exploded near them. The parachute was unharmed but Kumiko felt something dripping down her forehead. Kankuro started to look fuzzy and she couldn't hear what he was saying. Before she fell unconscious she felt him tightening his grip on her, a hard impact, then nothing more.

Kumiko woke to two large eyes staring at her. "KUMIKO-SAN!" Lee wailed and hugged her tightly.

She could only manage to let him hug her. In the room, besides Lee, was Kakashi, Gai, Kankuro and his brother, Gaara. Kakashi raised his eyebrow when she looked at him and Gai was watching Lee sob on the side of the bed.

Kankuro ran toward the hospital bed and gripped the edge. He couldn't seem to get any words out of his mouth, so he simply watched.

"What happened to the war?" she asked weakly.

Lee wiped his eyes. "The Sand was victorious. The powerful ninja were the ones facing Gaara on the roof. You destroyed them all and the rest pulled back. Kankuro told the entire story. Kumiko…you saved the Sand Village!"

He started to sob again and held onto her hand tightly. But when she glimpsed his face he was smiling hugely. "You're a hero."

Kankuro nodded his head vigorously but still couldn't speak. Gaara approached the bed and looked down at Kumiko, emotionless.

"You're recklessness reminds me of someone. You are indeed our savior. Your machine has been recovered and we'll transport it back with you when you choose to leave. Stay as long as you like."

Then he turned and left the room.

"My my, what a mess that was," Kakashi said, rubbing the back of his head. "Tsunade almost took my head off when you both flew away. I'm sure she'll think differently now, the Sand's eagle was dispatched yesterday. She should be hearing of this soon."

"My little Lee!" Gai shouted from the corner. "Just like you to find one as youthful as you are. If only I had someone like that!"

Kumiko didn't know whether this was a good or bad thing.

"Next time I'll be there to protect you," Lee said sadly.

Kumiko smiled at him. "Don't worry, Kankuro was there."

Kumiko looked to find him blushing. He couldn't hold her gaze and instead looked at the ground. His arm was wrapped in a bandage but he otherwise looked ok. She wondered how he managed to drag her to the hospital.

The next day she was able to walk and insisted that she return to Konoha. Who knows what was waiting for her there? Mikomi's remains were loaded into a cart and attached to two horses. Some of the Sand-nin offered to escort them back, but Kakashi refused, telling them to help rebuild their village.

Kumiko sat on the edge of the cart, her feet dangling over the edge. Though her clothes were ripped and dirty she insisted on wearing them. Lee was walking beside her, every once and awhile glancing up to make sure she hadn't disappeared. Before they set out across the desert a figure came running toward them.

Kankuro stopped in front of Kumiko. "I didn't…say goodbye," he panted.

She smiled. "I noticed. Well, goodbye, Kankuro."

He stood in front of her awkwardly and she watched him, curious. He shifted his feet in the sand.

She opened her mouth to say something but he grabbed her waist and lifted her off the cart, hugging her close.

"Please, promise to visit," he whispered. "I promise to visit you."

Shocked, she could only nod. He gently touched the bandage on her head and kissed her cheek before he lifted her back onto the cart. His face was flushed and hers was tinted pink. Kakashi slapped the horses and the cart pulled away.

Kankuro didn't turn back toward the village until she had disappeared beyond the horizon, out of his sight.

Lee was grinning at her. "Shut up Lee," she said, blushing more.

He couldn't help giggling.

The ride was long but the two genin and jounin enjoyed the peacefulness of the lands. Lee made Kumiko tell the story again and again until he could recite it back by heart. He physically displayed the feelings that were in her heart. He ran up trees and cart-wheeled down the path. She laughed at his tricks and the constant quarreling of Kakashi and Gai.

She enjoyed the ride to its fullest, readying herself for whatever was waiting back in Konoha.

Here's Part 1. There's a lot more.


	5. Spelunking, 1

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Spelunking (chap.1)

In Kumiko's dream she was surfing on a turtle. Of course, it was the most normal thing in the world, for a dream. She was riding a monstrous wave when the turtle began to thrash and shout her name. "Kumiko-san! Wake up!"

She shot her eyes open and grabbed whoever was shaking her and shook him back. "What's the big idea?"

"The Fifth…calling for you," Lee managed to spit out.

Kumiko let him go.

The incident with the Sand had spread throughout Konoha. Everyone knew how she flew in on her self-made machine and saved the town single-handedly. It made her somewhat famous. People came to her either to hear her tell the story herself, or ask her to fix something for them. But even this little bit of fame was not enough to make her a ninja.

"What are you doing?" Lee asked frantically. "Hurry up!"

She sprang out of bed and flew into the bathroom. Lee paced her flat impatiently until she emerged and rummaged for her pack.

"Lee?" she asked tightening the straps. "How did you get into my room?"

He sweat-dropped, blushed, then cleared his throat. "I, well…I sort of…um, kicked down your door."

"Nani!" she yelled, just noticing her door lying on the floor of her room.

"No time, let's go!"

Lee grabbed her arm and flew out of the flat and sped off down the streets of Konoha. Kumiko stumbled after him, who pulled her faster than she could run.

"Lee, wait!"

He yanked on her arm so she fell forward and threw her onto his back, then sped away, creating his own breeze when he passed people by.

He leapt four by four up the stairs of the Hokage mansion and burst through the doorway, tripping on the rug and flinging Kumko head-first onto the ground.

"Baka…" she groaned and stood up shakily, adjusted her pack, then looked to the Fifth, whose eye was twitching.

"Kumiko…" she began.

"So you finally admit that you need me, ne? Finally realized my abilities?" Kumiko cut her off and grinned.

Tsunade cleared her throat. "Well, it depends. We've got an interesting request here. The Hidden Village of Waterfall sent us a messenger. He told us that odd things were happening in their western forest. Sometimes people walk through and never come back, other pass without incident, and most said strange things flitted about their vision in the night. Thinking it was a band of ninja causing trouble with genjutsu, I sent Kakashi and his ninja dogs to the forest. He's been wandering around for three weeks and hasn't found a thing."

Kumiko stood, arms crossed and legs apart, nodding her head. "You want me to figure out what's going on."

Tsunade nodded. "I feel as though we've been searching for the wrong thing, and that maybe you could look at it from a different angle."

"Well, it's no problem, under one condition," she smiled. "Make me a ninja if I succeed!"

Tsunade grumbled and tapped her fingers on the table. "How about I'll consider it."

"Deal," Kumiko replied immediately, and turned to go.

"Kumiko-san," Lee said weakly from the ground where he was still laying face-down.

"Oh right, and he's coming too."

"Whatever you need," Tsunade replied. "But, I'm assigning the leader of this mission."

She pointed to the back of the room. "I knew it, how troublesome." Shikamaru grumbled stepping into the middle of the room.

Wait a minute!" Kumiko yelled twirling back around. "I'm the leader of this mission! You called _me_ because _I'm _the one who's going to figure it out!"

"_You're _still not a ninja. This is a _ninja _mission needing a _ninja _leader!"

Kumiko marched up to the table ands stuck her finger in Tsunade's face. "Do you always follow the stupid rules?"

Tsunade growled and stuck her nose in Kumiko's face. "If the Hokage doesn't follow the rules, then who will?"

Kumiko humphed and spun around, then stomped out of the room, followed by a terrified Lee and Shikamaru. When they were gone, Tsunade hid a smile.

Kumiko huffed all the way back to her shed and flung open the doors.

"Listen up. You may be the leader but if you don't do what I say we're not going to find anything. Got it?"

"YOSH!"

"What a drag…"

By mid-afternoon they had loaded up a cart and rented a mule. Shikamaru took a seat on top of the pile and stared up at the sky, Lee insisted on walking alongside and Kumiko sat on the mule. Before she closed the shed, she lifted up the tarp that was covering Mikomi, and promised to finish fixing her when she returned.

"We'll just follow the path to Waterfall. In one day, Pakkun will meet us and bring us to Kakashi-sensei."


	6. Spelunking, 2

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Spelunking (chap. 2)

Kumiko yawned and shoved the gadget she was tinkering with back into her pack. The mule was really getting her sore so she hopped onto the supplies and poked Shikamaru.

"Move it lazy-ass there's enough room here for two."

"How troublesome," he grumbled and scooched over.

Kumiko lay down and fell asleep within minutes.

They were both jolted awake when Lee leaped on top of them. "We're here!"

Kumiko yawned and sat up to see Kakashi and Pakkun looking up at her. "Yo," he said, raising his hand.

The boys unloaded the cart onto the grass in the clearing where Kakashi had set up his camp. Kumiko walked around the area and a little ways into the forest. When they finished she continued to wander. She paced all around until the sun began to set. Soon, when it was nighttime she still hadn't joined her comrades at camp.

"She's not as hard as she seems," Lee was explaining to Shikamaru by fire-light.

He sighed. "All women are troublesome," he replied poking it with a stick.

Kakashi rose and walked off in the direction of Kumiko's shadow. "You should come to the camp and eat something," he said behind her.

"Sensei," she replied. "Tell me about your search. What you were looking for and how you were doing it."

He nodded. "Let's do that in the camp."

Kumiko warmed a cup of ramen over the fire and slurped it as Kakashi summoned Pakkun.

"I called Pakkun and the others and told them to sniff out any human presence in the forest. But mostly they came upon simple travelers passing through. I wandered around, searching for signs of chakra use or anything out of the ordinary. After a few days of nothing I switched the schedule to night time, because that's when travelers claimed to have seen things happening, but still nothing."

Pakkun cleared his throat and cut in. "I even sat just outside of other travelers' camps and watched them to see if they acted strangely. There was nothing. Even so, I brought Kakashi to them in the morning and he questioned them. We were having no luck at all until the middle of the second week when a group I sat in on at night was nowhere to be found the next morning. It was our only clue so we set up camp and covered every inch of the area."

Kakashi sighed. "I'm getting quite frustrated with the situation.

Kumiko gulped down the rest of the ramen and wiped her mouth. "You said you were searching for chakra use?"

He nodded.

"Did you search for plain chakra as well?"

"I did for awhile. Ninja can sense when chakra is being used or possibly someone with chakra. But there was nothing," Kakashi replied.

"How much chakra has to be used for you to sense it?"

Kakashi cocked his head. "Well any amount that a person is using…"

She stood up without a word and went to rummage through her supplies. Lee and Kakashi sat in the camp, scratching their heads, and Shikamaru yawned. "What a person uses? That's quite a lot, ever considered something emitting chakra on a lesser level?"

The lightbulb went on the in other two's heads.

Shikamaru stood up and yawned again then approached Kumiko. "I'm assuming you have something that detects low chakra levels?"

Kumiko nodded. "It looks kind of like a walkie-talkie with a screen on it and two antennas. Look over in that bag for me?"

"They're smart," Lee said, awed.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Kalashi replied, scratching the back of his head.

Kumiko found what she was looking for. "Shika, lend me some of your chakra?"

He held out his hand and she pressed his finger onto a small depression on the front of the device. "Ouch," Shikamaru said as it sucked out some of his chakra and the screen glowed green.

"All of you please get onto higher ground or your chakra will interfere."

They jumped up into the trees and watching her from a distance. Kumiko crouched down and stared at the screen. Numbers flitted across it until finally setting on 38. She stood up and waved the others down.

"Well, it looks like this place is leaking chakra. It's only at 38. 50 would be what a person would emit normally, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was a lot higher than that. Something was interfering with the signal, there's some kind of gas mixing with the chakra and masking its presence."

"Leaking from…the ground?" Lee asked.

Kumiko nodded. "I don't know how, but if I figure out what this other thing is, it'll be a big clue."

Kakashi pulled out a scroll and began scribbling on it, when he was finished he handed it to Pakkun and sent him off. "I'm sending the Fifth this information. Let's sleep for now; tomorrow we'll begin."

Kumiko was awake before the others, struggling to pull out a large box. Surprisingly, Shikamaru was the first to wake up.

"What is this thing? It's so heavy."

"I made it a long time ago, and never modified it to make it smaller. I had a feeling I might have to test for gas components in the air, so I packed it. We have to bring it to a cleared spot.

"How troublesome," Shika complained, straining against the weight.

They plopped it down on the grass. She crouched in front of it and dusted it off. "I haven't used this thing in awhile. Shika, go wake the other two and tell them to go into the village and ask around for information on the forest. I want to know if there was anything built here. Then I need your chakra again."

Shika grumbled and woke the others.

When they were gone she took his hand and placed it on the top of the box with a darkened screen. "Sorry, I have to use more than the other one because there's no electricity and it's kind of old-fashioned."

Shika grunted at the odd feeling of chakra being sucked out of the body. When she was done he sagged to the ground. "Hnn…I feel so tired. I'm just going to nap here."

Kumiko rolled her eyes and flipped a switch so the screen glowed blue. It asked her to specify what she was looking for.

"Chickusou!" she said angrily. She had been meaning to modify it so it searched for all components in the air. She made it so it asked for specific components first to check if it worked. _This is going to take awhile, _she thought, and began with the simple elements.

Kumiko sat in front of the screen all morning to mid-afternoon, getting more and more angry. Shika woke up and lay next to her in the grass, every once and awhile suggesting something. She was about to pummel the screen to a pulp when Lee and Kakashi returned.

Over lunch they told her what they found.

"The villagers all said there wasn't much in the forest except a few shrines and an ancient burial ground," Lee informed them eating a rice ball they had brought back with them.

Kumiko and Shikamaru looked at each other for a brief second then rushed over to the device and punched something in. Lee and Kakashi shrugged. Twenty minutes later Kumiko gasped. "Chickusou…this place is saturated with radon."

Shika started at the number on the screen wide-eyed. "This much radon means there's…"

Kumiko jumped up and sped back to the camp and grabbed Kakashi's shirt. "Summon Pakkun, get out a scroll NOW!"

She fumbled in her pack for a pen.

"What's going on?" Lee asked, a little frightened.

"That burial ground." Shikamaru said, hands in his pockets. "It's built on top of enough uranium to blow up an entire village."

The message was dispatched with Pakkun, and Kakashi was sent back to Waterfall to inform their leader. The message said to block off all paths into the forest until they returned. Lee, Shikamaru, and Kumiko packed up their camp and relocated to the entrance of the cave that hosted the burial grounds.

"They said that the last people to go down there was generations ago. They're afraid of the ancestors' ghosts," Lee informed them.

Kumiko pulled out four pieces of cloth and handed one to each of them. "Wear this. The Fifth gave them to me after the affair with the Sand so I could work in the shop without worrying about inhaling dangerous chemicals. Don't take it off until we're out of this forest, radon is very dangerous. Give the extra to Kakashi when he returns."

Kumiko had trouble deciding what to bring with her. She couldn't carry any more than what would fit in her pack, and it wasn't enough. "Put stuff in mine," a voice said behind her.

Shikamaru was standing above her with his hands in his pockets. "You're not going with me. This is really dangerous," she said.

He humphed. "Troublesome woman… I'm the leader of the mission you were assigned to, which means I'm going. It's a drag but you obviously can't go alone. Never go down into a cave by yourself. That's just common knowledge."

She smiled at him. "Thanks, Shikamaru."

He widened his eyes and turned away. "Troublesome…"

After vigorous protests from Lee it was decided he would stay behind and wait for Kakashi. Kumiko explained that too many people would be more of a burden, and everything she needed could fit into two packs.

Lee grabbed her and made her promise to come back safely, then reluctantly let her go, and watched her and Shikamaru disappear into the cave's entrance.


	7. Spelunking, 3

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Spelunking (chap.3)

The cave began to drop immediately and soon the two shinobi were covered in absolute darkness. Kumiko tripped over a rock and Shikamaru caught her before she hit the ground. Shrugging him off, she sat on the ground and fumbled through her pack and threw something at him. "It's a headlamp, put it on."

She strapped hers on then helped a struggling Shika with his. The lights illuminated the cave, which was much narrower than it seemed. Occasional grooves resembling stairs jutted out from the ground. Dark and grey, the cave continued forward until it split to the left and right.

"What a drag," Shikamaru complained.

Kumiko scowled and threw him a rope. "Tie us together, if we separate you'll die."

"Me?"

"I've got the air sampler."

Shikamaru smiled a little and tied the rope around his waist securely, while Kumiko pulled out a small device and fiddled with the dials. "Ch, at least this thing's better made than that stupid ton of bricks," she mumbled.

A pair of arms wrapped themselves around her and she jumped.

"Relax, I'm just tying the rope."

When he finished she grabbed his hand. "I need your chakra again."

"What am I; an electricity outlet?" she laughed and pressed his finger to the device.

In a few seconds it lit up and numbers moved across the screen. She held it in front of one of the pathways, then the other, and pointed to the right. "This way."

The cave continued on without change. The numbers on the air sampler grew steadily as they moved forward. The air was becoming denser and denser. Kumiko's eyes itched, then watered. The tears stung as they rolled down her cheek, and soon she squeezed them shut and stopped walking. She fumbled for Shikamaru's hand and pressed a pair of goggles into them, then placed her own flying goggles (she never went anywhere without them) over her eyes.

They continued deeper into the cave and entered a cavern with a steep drop. Kumiko aimed her headlamp over the edge and the light didn't reach the bottom. The air sampler went haywire when she held it above the pit.

"Jeeze, what a drag," Shikamaru said, crouching down over the edge.

Kumiko opened his pack and pulled out a large length of rope. "Always," she said turning to him. "Carry lots of rope."

After tying it securely to a rock sticking up from the ground, she threw it over the edge. "You first."

"Wait a minute. If that thing somehow breaks or unties we're dead," Shikamaru protested.

"Who do you think I am?" Kumiko replied. "I can get us out, don't worry."

He looked at her, then the rope uncertainly, and decided to trust her. He crawled over the edge, holding the rope in a death grip, and descended slowly into the pit.

"Shikamaru!" Kumiko called over the edge. "Don't use any chakra we don't know what might happen."

"Psh, how troublesome," she heard his distant voice answer.

A few minutes later he shouted up at her and tugged on the rope. She tightened the straps on her pack and donned her flying gloves and lowered herself a few feet into the pit. With an evil grin she let her legs go and slid down the rope. When the bottom came into view she leapt off with a shout and tumbled onto the ground. The pit was much smaller than she thought and Shikamaru caught her before she tumbled into the walls.

"What the hell? You're crazy."

"Hehe, that was fun," she said dusting herself off.

He grumbled something that sounded like 'troublesome' then turned her to face the wall opposite them. There was an opening that seemed to glow yellow and a terrible smell wafted from it.

"I believe…that's what we're looking for," Shikamaru said, holding his nose.

Kumiko nodded and led them forward. They stepped into an enormous cavern, the ancient graveyard. Dirty yellow light cast a sickly glow over the remains of old tombstones. They jutted from the ground at awkward angles, covered with unknown symbols and crumbling statues. Some of the mounds of dirt were uncovered, revealing the aging coffins.

In spite of herself, Kumiko clung to Shikamaru's arm. The lids had fallen off of some of the graves and she feared what was lying inside. They stepped carefully across the eerie underground graveyard, slowly approaching the place where the light seemed to be coming from. Her air sampler was protesting the toxicity of the cavern so she shut it off and stowed it in her pocket. Shikamaru placed a hand on the one that was gripping his arm. She realized she must be cutting off his circulation and quickly released it in embarrassment. But he grabbed onto her hand and held it in his.

The light seemed to be coming from an enormous crack in the wall that ran from the ground to the ceiling. They turned off their headlamps as they neared it, then peered inside. There was another cavern next to the one they were standing in, filled to the brim with uranium ore.

"Wha…wha…who builds their graveyard next to an enormous uranium deposit!!" Kumiko shouted angrily across the cavern.

The shout echoed off the walls and Shikamaru held onto his ears. "Ahh, don't shout like that. Anyway, this place is a ticking time-bomb. We'd better get out of here and tell the others."

"We can't just leave it like this. It IS a ticking time-bomb. And I think the time is nearing its end. Chakra has been leaking out from this graveyard forever, and it just built up when it was abandoned. I was confused as to why now it started to leak to the surface, but it's simply that fact that enough decays to radon occurred to force it to the surface. I never considered what would happen if chakra mixed with some kind of natural gas, but judging from what we're doing down here in the first place, it's dangerous. Since the amount of this mixed gas coming from the ground is so small the effects are not too harmful. But down here…"

"If we lit a match this place would probably explode," Shikamaru cut in. "That's why we need to get out as quickly as possible, so the Waterfall can get people down here to fix it. There's nothing we can do."

"By the time they get organized it'll be too late. Can't you tell that?"

Shikmaru stayed silent.

"Do you understand what'll happen if this place explodes? It'll destroy the Waterfall village for sure, but it'll reach far beyond that. It may even leak into Konoha!"

He sighed. "I know, but what can we do?"

Kumiko stared into the uranium deposit cavern. When you looked straight into it, the light wasn't as ugly, maybe even pretty. Deception, all bad things cast a pretty light to confuse you into trusting it. In many things, with danger comes beauty.

"I've got a way," she said after a few minutes. "I know how we can rid the air of the mixture, which will give Waterfall plenty of time to come down here and safely remove the ore deposit. I'll need to borrow your chakra because it's a summoning. It'll be fine."

Shikamaru looked at her suspiciously. "What is it?"

"It summons a void contained in a box made of chakra. It'll suck all the air into it, it'll be fine..."

Shikmaru grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him. "No it's not. You're lying, I can tell. Don't you dare try and take the high road and hurt yourself, it's written all over your face."

Kumiko stared back at him. _I've never seen this lazy bum so frightened before._

"You're not as troublesome as you seem. I…many people would be very upset if you disappeared, especially Lee…"

"It's something my father created a long time ago. I got all my interest and talents for creating things from him. He was born without an ounce of talent as a ninja. My mother, on the other hand, was very talented. When they married, she retired and helped him create his gadgets. She lent him her chakra to make everything work. One day he created the Void. It seemed perfect when he finished it, tested perfectly, carried out its duty perfectly. Since it was so big, it had to be something that was summoned. When all the preparations were complete he prepared to test its summoning. He created it so that non-shinobi, like himself, could summon it with the help of a ninja friend. He hoped it would be used to rid an area of harmful gasses, whether in battle or in the workplace. It would make all kinds of work so much safer. But when he summoned it, it almost killed him. Something was wrong in the makings…it…took almost all the life out of whoever summons it. My mother rushed him to the hospital, and luckily, they saved him in time. After that he forbade anyone from using it ever again.

When my parents died, I was left with everything, including his works on the Void. I was very small when they died, but I still remember how he used to hold my shoulders and tell me over and over never to use it. He was worried because he saw the same talent and ambition in me. Well…I never thought to use it, until now."

You shouldn't…" Shikamaru began.

"It doesn't matter if I should or I shouldn't," she snapped at him angrily. "All that matters is if I can or cannot. What can be done, must be done; it doesn't matter whether I should do it. If I don't risk my life to finish this mission, then how could I ever hope to become a shinobi. That's what you do isn't it? Risk your life for others."

Shikamaru stared at her as she opened a scroll and began to write letters and symbols on it with blood from a pricked finger. The gas in the cavern obviously stung her opened cut but she didn't make a sound. When she was finished she held out her hand to him. "I need some of your chakra."

He hesitated then pushed her hands away, crouched behind her, and took her in his arms. "When you fall, I'll catch you. I promise to bring you back safely, and alive."


	8. Spelunking, 4

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Spelunking (chap.4)

Lee sat outside of the cave entrance staring off into the darkness, never once taking his eyes off the gloom. Kakashi was leaning against a tree, reading his book, but couldn't help glancing at the entrance every once and awhile.

Suddenly the cave let out a monstrous roar, as if all the winds had gathered inside and started churning. Lee felt the cave drawing him inside and he stood up, alarmed.

"Kakashi-sensei, what's happening?"

Kakashi snapped his book shut and appeared beside Lee. Together, they waited.

Minutes ticked by into hours, and the sound in the cave refused to cease its thunder. Kakashi was considering going inside when a figure appeared at the entrance and stumbled forward. Shikamaru raised his dirt streaked face. "Quick, take her to the hospital!"

Lee rushed forward and took Kumiko off Shikamaru's back and bolted into the forest toward town. Kakashi supported Shikamaru on his shoulder.

"Wait…" Shikamaru fumbled for the scroll that was crumpled in his pocket. He drew a symbol on it with the blood off his lips.

Immediately the cave stopped its noises and the forest was silent. Shikamaru sighed.

Kumiko woke to white hospital walls. _This seems familiar, _she thought.

Beside her, Lee and Shikamaru were playing Shogi, and Kakashi was snoring on the windowsill.

"Lee…could you be any worse at this game?" Shikamaru asked, bored.

Lee sulked and turned to check on Kumiko. He leapt up when he saw her looking at him, overturning the table so the pieces scattered to the floor. He hugged her tightly and wet the sleeve of her shirt with his tears.

Kakashi startled awake. "Oh, it looks like you're all better," he said and smiled.

"Did it work?" she asked.

Shikamaru nodded. "The graveyard was totally cleaned out. I informed the Waterfall leader about the ore deposit and he immediately assembled his people to mine it. He also said he would install a pipe system that directs all the emitted chakra and anything else outside and away from the town."

Kumiko nodded.

"It's a mission complete. The Fifth was notified."

"I want to go back to Konoha," Kumiko said, laying back down on the bed.

Shimakaru nodded, "Me too."

The Waterfall provided a cart and escort back to the village. Kumiko rode on the edge again, the same way she did when she returned from the Sand. She could hardly contain herself on the way home. This would be twice she returned victorious, her dream was so much closer.

Lee made her and Shikamaru tell the story, obviously so he could spread it around town. Kumiko learned that Shikamaru carried her all the way out of the cave on his back. He had to tie a rope around them, so she wouldn't be sucked away. He made his journey back seem easy, but she knew differently. He had to climb back out of the pit with her on his back. She promised herself that Konoha would know this fact, along with the rest of the story. ..

"I win," she said after the twelfth time she and Shikamaru played Shogi.

Shikamaru snapped out of his lazy trance with the clouds and stared down at the board. "You…what?"

She smiled. "I…W-i-n," she spelled for him.

His mouth dropped in shock. She knew she hadn't really won, he was just distracted during this game. But she wasn't about to let it go.

He grumbled and turned away from her. He covered his mouth to keep the smile off of his lips. He wasn't about to let her have the satisfaction of seeing that smile.

"Ch, sooooo troublesome," he said, and watched the Waterfall's trees lazily pass them by, then change into Konoha's.

Here's part 2. More later.


	9. Border Patrol, 1

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Border Patrol (chap.1)

A bell sounded softly next to Kumiko's ear. She woke immediately. _Southwest, twenty meters from the wall, number 34. _She ran to her window and yanked on a rope that led across the street to Lee's bedroom window. There was a thump and muffled cry before Lee peered out at her. She raised her hand and signaled. Just as she was finishing, another bell sounded. She turned back to her room and scanned the wall that held the bells. _Number 37._

The Fifth was very pleased when Kumiko returned from the Waterfall's graveyard a few months ago, but still refused to make her a ninja. She didn't have enough experience. But, one day Kumiko arrived in her office and presented an idea for extra safety at the border that relied on a system of bells attached to chakra strings. It was easy to create, very precise, and reliable. The Fifth liked the idea and agreed that it would be useful. Nothing had happened yet, but Kumiko knew that the Fifth was finally watching her with interest.

She ran back to the window and signaled that there was another bell ringing. There were 100 triggers set around the outside of the wall, connected to the bells in Kumiko's room as well as each other. If someone crossed the chakra lines running across the ground, the bell it was attached to would sound. It took quite awhile for Kumiko to modify the system so animals didn't set them off, but it was done. Travelers came in through the main gates, which were always heavily guarded anyway so she didn't have to worry. The system wasn't perfect, but it was close.

Lee nodded and jumped out the window, still in his pjamas, and sped off. Kumiko leapt onto her bed and punched out a tile on the ceiling that she made to lead to the roof. Once on top, she grabbed her binoculars and scanned in the direction of the intruders. She caught Lee's figure running down the streets, then looked ahead. Nothing was there.

The radio in her ear buzzed. "Kumiko-san! Are they in the same position?" Lee asked.

"I can't see anything. It looks like no one's there," she replied.

"I see. They must be hiding. I will find them!" he said, then switched off.

She looked at the forest again then at Lee's sneaking figure. A half an hour passed when she radioed Lee. "I guess it was a false alarm. Come back."

"Hai," he replied and switched off.

Kumiko pocketed her binoculars and slipped back inside her room. Just as she got inside two more bells were ringing, this time on the other side of the wall. With one hand still gripping the ceiling she pulled herself back up and ran to the end of the roof and looked out toward the wall. Nothing again. She scanned all around the walls, looking for any fleeting figures or rustle of bushes. Unsatisfied, she leapt down from the roof and ran down the deserted streets of Konoha, towards the Hyuuga mansion.

Kumiko hoisted herself onto Hinata's window-sill and poked at it. "Hinata-chan? Hinata-chan!" she called, peering into the darkened room.

"She's on a mission."

Kumiko turned to her left to find Neji, crouching on the window-sill one floor higher. He looked down at her from the corner of his eye, emotionless. She found his pupil-less eyes so unnerving it was hard to look at him. He was always so cold to her; that, and the way he made her feel small and insignificant was why she hated him.

Static broke the silence. "Kumiko-san!" Lee's voice urgently shouted from the muffled radio. "The bells are out of control; almost half of them are ringing! It's like we're surrounded but I can't find anyone. What's going on?"

She fumbled for the receiver and told Lee to wait in his room for her, then looked back up at Neji. She died a thousand times over, then opened her mouth. "I need your help."

Neji raised an eyebrow, and a small smile crossed his face and disappeared quickly. He humphed and looked away. She remembered the time in the café when she finished Mikomi, her flying machine.

"_I admire your perseverance, but your destiny cries out against you from all angles."_ he had told her.

"Neji, we live in Konoha. If someone attacked it we'd both be affected. I don't know what your problem is, but we do have that one common cause. I need you to look around the south and west wall."

A few minutes of silence passed before he wordlessly exited the window and leapt up to the top of the mansion. Kumiko followed after, climbing a rope she attached to the roof. She peered up at Neji when she reached the top, his corded eyes scanning the distance, seeing as she could never see; no matter how much she tried.

"There's someone there, no, two. They're moving quickly. I don't know what's telling you we're surrounded, but there are only two people there. They don't look like they're attacking, just…probing."

Kumiko stood silently, gazing into the nothing in front of her.

"Looks like your little system has some problems," he said.

She ignored his taunt and tightened the straps on her pack. "Thank you, Neji," she said, then disappeared off the side of the roof.


	10. Border Patrol, 2

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Border Patrol (chap.2)

The next day Kumiko sent Lee to inform the Fifth of what happened that night. He explained that she was sure her system wasn't lying, that whoever was out there somehow set them all off at once.

_"Where is __Kumiko?" __Tsunade__ asked Lee._

_"Well…after she sent me to you she locked herself into her shed. She was quiet, which is unlike her, and told me not to bother her. I know __Kumiko-san__ well enough to see when she's determined. Don't worry; she'll catch whoever is out there."_

Kumiko yanked out a wrench that was hiding under a mess of broken pieces of metal and rusted hardware. Tightening a bolt, she promised that next time she would be out there herself. The combat weapons she made sat in the position of honor near the shed door. She polished them every day and kept them from rusting. There was only one thing she needed to prove before becoming a ninja, and that was ability in combat. Sure, she could fly in from the sky and shoot everyone down, she could figure out a tough problem, but one-on-one fighting was completely different. It was the one thing that worried her. When she originally began creating her combat weapons, she started with swords and kunai and other things like that. Then she realized that simple weapons wouldn't be enough. She didn't have any ninja powers. She needed something different, sneaky. No one had even glimpsed them, not even Lee. Secrecy, stealth, and surprise were the keys to a victory.

As she packed her bag for the hundredth time with her weapons, she prayed that she would finally put them to use.

The shed become disgustingly hot by mid-afternoon. The fan was blowing full but Kumiko was still miserable. She was hungry, but couldn't afford to leave. Night was approaching quickly. After awhile she made up her mind that it would be less productive to work on an empty stomach and opened the shed doors, letting the hot fumes and dust be sucked away by the outside air and almost stepped on a small basket. She leaned down, and saw inside it was iced green tea and sushi.

She smiled and brought it back into the shed. _That must be Lee. _

Night fell and Kumiko laid in her bed, fully clothed, with her pack by its end. She couldn't fall asleep. The minutes ticked by painfully, the silences between each click holding the possibility of victory or failure. Finally, around midnight, Kumiko heard the soft cry of the bells and she leapt out of her bed.

She yanked on the rope and waited for Lee to show up at the window. Nothing. She pulled it again, harder, but Lee didn't answer. Panicked, she saddled her pack and leapt over to his house and peered in the window. The bed was made, and a note was tacked to the window.

"Kumiko-san!" it read. "The Fifth assigned me to a mission yesterday morning after I spoke with her. I know you were planning something tonight but I had to go. Please forgive me!"

"Chikusou!" she said under her breath.

He was supposed to inform the Fifth tonight if the bells were set off again, and ask her to send reinforcements. It would be dangerous for Kumiko to run off on her own, but she had no time. She MUST capture the intruders.

Leaping down from the window-sill, Kumiko breathed out nervously. _Tonight… _then sped off.

She approached the western wall from the north. Her soft shoes made minimum noise in the brushes, her breathing steady and calm. When she approached the bell that had rung she switched on the infrared goggles she had been working on the day before. Immediately, she spotted a figure.

She removed the goggles, and as quietly as possible, snuck up on the unsuspecting intruder and watched him from beneath the bushes. He had black hair, and a black cloak wrapped around his body. She couldn't make out the details, but he gave her a feeling of dread. Something about him seemed familiar…

His face turned a little toward her and a bright red eye glowed in the dark. It was looking ahead at the wall. Everything around her disappeared, only the eye remained.

_Sharingan..._


	11. Border Patrol, 3

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Border Patrol (chap.3)

"Well, well, what is this?"

The figure in front of her disappeared as the voice spoke behind her. Against her wishes, Kumiko felt herself turning toward him. His blurry figure appeared before her eyes. She fought the urge to look up at his face: the face of the infamous Uchiha Itachi, the one who killed his entire clan. A thousand questions ran through her head: _What is he doing here? _But they were quickly forced away when he bent down over her.

"Oh, it's just a pathetic civilian. A little girl thinking she'd save the village by capturing the intruder."

His voice blew at her with ice, then was silent. _Isn't he going to attack? _She stayed stock still, waiting for his move, then realized he was waiting to catch her in his genjutsu. Fighting down her rising panic, she took advantage of her once chance of escape. Kumiko fell to the ground with a gasp, then stayed still.

Itachi studied her, then silently walked away. Kumiko waited for as long as she could bare then opened her eyes and looked for signs of Itachi. Her legs wobbled and she stood and held onto a tree. "I have to tell the Fifth," she breathed, and slowly placed one foot in front of the other.

"Thought so…" a voice hissed.

A hand grabbed her arm roughly and she yelped. She struggled against his grip, and managed to put the goggles on her face before he roughly turned her around. "Stupid girl, you can't fool me with such simple tricks."

She looked at his red figure in horror. He activated his sharingan and she froze. "This time, I got you," he said.

His grip loosened on her, and Kumiko reared back and hit him straight in the face. She raised one knee and brought it between his legs. Itachi grunted and let her go. She stumbled out of his grasp and ran as fast as she could toward the entrance to the village.

She ripped off her goggles, to see better where she was going. It was lucky, she thought, that she used the goggles to look for the enemy, without them Itachi would have had her. The sweat poured down her face, blurring her vision, and she didn't see him until she hit him.

"I'm going to kill you," a strangled voice said.

She had run straight into Itachi's chest and he grabbed her arms, cutting off the circulation. Her goggles were around her neck, and her hands pinned to her sides. She didn't even bother to struggle, he had her, and she had no more tricks.

She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for him to kill her. Instead of pain, she heard a cry of pain. Something dripped onto her face. She opened her eyes to find blood splattered on her body. Thinking it was hers she opened her mouth to scream then stopped when she felt the arms around her let go. Itachi stumbled to the ground, with a kunai plunged deep into his chest.

"Kisame!" he cried.

Someone leapt out of the trees and grabbed Itachi's arm. "We're done here," Itachi said and the two ran off.

Itachi's blood dripped off her arms and onto the ground. A pair of hands held onto her shoulders, then shook her. Her eyes focused on two grey ones: blank, milky. "Chikusou, what the hell did you think you were doing?"

Neji shook her again; worry etched as unfamiliar lines on his forehead. "Kumiko, Kumiko, baka! What were you doing, you baka!" he said, still shaking her.

"Itachi…" she said.

"He almost killed you; never go off on your own."

"He's getting away!" she said.

This time Neji slapped her.

"Ow…Neji…"

"You do it again; I'll never let you leave your room alone," he said.

She finally noticed him standing there. He let go of her and turned away, then humphed. He looked so flustered and angry. Kumiko never saw him like this, maybe no one ever had.

"We have to tell the Fifth," she said.

"I already did. I saw you leave your house from my window."

_He saw me from his window? Was it chance, or was he watching me?_

He began to walk away. "Go home, Kumiko. The Fifth will take care of it."

She watched him disappear before she returned home. After showering off the last bit of blood she sat on the edge of her bed. She had failed, miserably. If Neji hadn't saved her she would be dead. The Ffith would never recognize her now…

Kumiko fell asleep within minutes, and dreamed troubled dreams.

The Fifth dispatched a messenger to wake her up in the morning. She followed him to her office and entered.

Tsunade looked her up and down. "I would like to yell at you for being stupid. But I won't. It's thanks to you we caught Itachi prowling. I've dispatched Jiraiya to look into it," she paused and Kumiko kept her eyes trained on her feet.

"Kumiko…I know how much you want to become a ninja. I know that you went out there alone to prove it to me. You have to understand, that there are people like Itachi out there, people that even a strong ninja cannot defeat. You have to be more cautious. All that you've done this time it prove that you're reckless. I'm already watching you, Kumiko. The village is watching you. There are whispers of you circulating through the Sand and Waterfall. Don't be stupid, be patient."

Kumiko took a day off from her gadgets and sat on a bench in the park. Her still un-used weapons sat in her pack by her feet. She thought she could hear them yelling at her. Kiba came along and asked if she wanted to play, she shook her head and watched him catch with Akamaru . She stayed all day, until the sun set. When it was finally dark she left the bench and returned home. She didn't notice the shadow that detached itself from the tree above her. It had sat there all day, watching over her in the tree branches, as she had watched the grass.


	12. Trouble at the Mist, 1

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Trouble At the Mist (chap 1)

"Come on. You need fresh air or you'll rot!" Lee said, tugging on Kumiko's arm.

"Wait, there's a smudge on her left side," Kumiko replied, straining to break free.

Mikomi was finally revived after an entire two weeks of work. Kumiko practically lived inside of her shed, never seeing the light of day.

Lee finally yanked her out into the sunlight and she blinked. "Ow…it hurts…"

Lee giggled. "You're like a vampire," he said.

"Shut up, Lee!"

Running away from her, Lee led Kumiko to an open field. In it, most of the Konoha genin were sitting on the grass or running around. Kumiko plopped down in the circle of girls next to Hinata and sighed.

"Kumiko-san! You're out of your shed."

Hinata was the opposite of Kumiko, quiet, shy, but they were good friends. Also, she was probably the sanest out of the rest of them.

"The hermit is finally awake!" Ino said, pointing at Kumiko. "Did the sunlight burn your eyes?"

"I thought she was more like a vampire," Lee commented.

Kumiko threw a handful of grass at Lee's head and he pouted and ran off to play with Kiba and Naruto. She told Hinata all about the new Mikomi and offered to give her a ride, but Hinata turned red and shook her head no. A few minutes later a shadow blocked the sun and Kumiko looked up to see Shikamaru.

"Hoy, Shika-kun," she said, shielding her eyes.

He stood above her and scratched the back of his head, with the signature look of boredom on his face.

"What's with that face?" she asked.

"Troublesome…I just wanted to say hi," he stated, then walked away and flopped into the grass, staring at the clouds.

Kumiko shrugged and turned back to Hinata. "I think he likes you," she said, pressing her index fingers together.

A frisbee knocked Kumiko in the head as Hinata spoke to her and she fell over backwards. "OW! Who threw that?"

On the fields Kiba and Naruto were laughing and pointing at Lee who stared at her. She stood up and chased after him and a look of horror on his face. Naruto stepped on Shikamaru in the process and he joined the battle.

After Kumiko's encounter with Itachi, her border patrol system was received as an official part of the village. She was the head engineer and creator, but it was given over to other ninja to man. Times became idle, so she shut herself in her shed to create new things, and most importantly, fix her flying machine. She was bored, and eager to be called back to the Hokage mansion.

The rough-housing stopped as the sun reached noon and it grew too hot. Kumiko returned to Hinata.

"Kumiko-chan…you're so carefree. Everyone likes you; I wish I could be like that."

Kumiko smiled and drank water from a bottle. "You don't have to be loud like me for people to like you. I'll bet Kiba and the others would do anything you asked…especially Naruto."

Hinata blushed and stuttered and Kumiko laughed at her. "Besides, not everyone likes me…" She turned slightly to glance at Neji sitting cross-legged on a rock with a frown on his face. She couldn't tell if he was looking at her so she stuck out her tongue. When he furrowed his brows more she smirked and turned back to Hinata. "…like you're cousin."

"Neji? A-actually I think he…"

Hinata was cut off when a hand touched Kumiko's shoulder and she turned around.

"Come," Shino said.

Lee stopped his one-handed pushups and ran to her. Shino led them over to the Hokage mansion and into the Fifth's office. She sat at her desk flicking little pieces of paper across the table. Kumiko cleared her throat.

"I've got a mission for you," Tsunade said, still flicking the paper.

"Ne? What's that? A mission for a non-ninja. Gasp! Is that legal?"

Tsunade growled and flicked a piece at Kumiko's head and it left a small red mark. "If you come back from this one successfully…I'll consider letting you become a ninja."

"What?" Kumiko shouted. "That's what you said last time. Am I a ninja yet? I don't think so. Find yourself someone else…"

"A ninja never refuses a mission," the Fifth countered, staring Kumiko in the eyes. "This one…it'll determine whether you're fit to become a ninja or not."

Kumiko crossed her arms and pouted, but on the inside she was bursting with excitement. Of course she'd take the mission! She just had to remind the Fifth about her promise.

"Someone is causing trouble in the Mist." Tsunade said. "There's a group trying to kill the Elder of the village. I already dispatched Kakashi to find the entrance, but unfortunately it's nothing like we've seen before. We need…"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Kumiko cut her off. "You need me to figure it out. Jeeze, why don't you send Shikamaru on easy stuff like this? My skills should be reserved for the really tough things, you…"

"QUIET! You're going on this mission. Shino will give you more details on the way. Now, get out of here before I change my mind!"

Kumiko opened her mouth to argue but Lee grabbed her wrist and yanked her out of the office, shutting the door behind him.

"Baka, bakabakabaka…" she said annoyed, brushing herself off. "Let's get ready Lee."

"Ano, Kumiko-san. I've been assigned another mission."

She looked at him, then growled angrily.

"Be careful," he said placing a hand on her shoulder.

She smiled. "I'm always careful Lee!"

As she ran away he hung his head. "You're not…that's the thing."


	13. Trouble at the Mist, 2

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Trouble At the Mist (chap 2)

An hour later Kumiko met Shino outside the gates of Konoha, lugging two large suitcases in addition to her backpack.

"You brought too much," Shino stated.

She frowned at him. "Who knows what kind of spells that door or whatever has got on it. I had to bring everything I thought I would need. That's a lot of stuff."

He didn't answer and instead picked up the heavier suitcase and began to walk down the path. Kumiko ran after him.

"Arigat..."

"The Fifth sent me along with Kakashi-sensei because I am the strongest and most skilled tracker on my team," Shino said, interrupting her. "This was one week ago. Once there, it wasn't hard to find the entrance to the rebel group, but it was blocked. Not just by a spell, but other things as well. I searched for another entrance but there was none."

"You and Kakashi-sensei? Odd combination…hmm…was it so hard that the great Shino couldn't figure it out. I heard you're pretty strong. Heh heh, how does it feel to…"

Shino turned and glared at her and she backed away.

The Hidden Village of the Mist was a few days away. Shino didn't talk much, so Kumiko enjoyed the fresh air. It felt good after so many days fixing Mikomi. She couldn't wait to take her out for a ride again.

While daydreaming, Kumiko slowed down, and when she looked up again Shino was standing in the distance staring at her. She ran up to him. "Gomen…I was daydreaming."

He humphed and turned around.

"Ne, Shino-kun. What's wrong?"

"Nothing. "

She put her arm around his shoulder. "Don't be so dry Shino-kun! Learn to have fun!" she rubbed her knuckles on the top of his head.

His eyebrows twitched and his face turned pink. "Don't do that."

He shrugged her off and continued walking. Kumiko couldn't help but laugh and follow after him.

The sun set and they stopped for the night. Shino set up a tent while Kumiko rummaged through the things in her bag.

"You should start a fire," he told her, rolling out his sleeping bag.

She grinned and pulled out a small metal sheet and laid it under some logs on the ground. "Give me your hand." She grabbed Shino's hand and placed it on the sheet, fire sparked to life in the logs and she removed it. "Easy," she said, satisfied.

Shino stared at it.

"Shino-kun…let go of my hand?"

The sky darkened and the night grew cold. Shino had fallen asleep inside the tent, but Kumiko was awake and wandering the clearing. Something felt odd. She peeked out of the bushes down the quiet path; nothing was making a sound. Carefully, she placed her bag on the ground and pulled out a small metal rod. Her fingers smudged it's perfect surface and she held it in the palm of her hand.

Footsteps sounded from down the path. She fell to the ground and watched cautiously, waiting. They grew heavier, then softer, and she couldn't tell if they were coming toward her or away. When she was about to return to the camp there was a voice by her ear.

"Tricked you."

She whipped her head around just before there was a sharp pain in the back of her head, then nothing.


	14. Trouble at the Mist, 3

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Trouble At the Mist (chap 3)

"Looks like she's coming to."

A light was shining in Kumiko's face. She tried to shield it with her hands but realized they were tied behind her back. Once the glare was pulled away she found herself in a dark, dank room. To one side was a table with papers strewn all over the surface and several men staring down at them, arguing. In front of her, a young man with silver hair was talking to her.

"Who are you?"

She scowled. "I'm not telling you. Let me out of here."

The man smirked. "You shouldn't be so confident when you're the one tired to a chair and I'm standing. Ladies shouldn't make such scary faces."

Kumiko growled and smoke came out of her ears. "What are you saying, huh?"

The man laughed and began to walk away. She yelled after him and struggled, but he ignored her. Kumiko watched the men in the room warily, but none of them approached her, or even cast her a glance. There were no windows in the room, so Kumiko couldn't keep track of the time. The chair was so uncomfortable she couldn't fall asleep, and instead lolled her head to the side every now and then.

There seemed to be a rhythm to the activity in the room. Every once and awhile the men at the table were replaced by different ones. They always came in with dirt on their shoes, and one group soaked from rain. The man who spoke to her earlier, however, remained.

"Eat this."

Kumiko snapped her head up and tried to conceal the drool that had leaked from the corner of her mouth. The man was standing in front of her holding a bowl of soup.

"I don't want you're lousy food," she said.

"Fine, starve," he said and turned away.

"If you want information or something go ahead and ask, I don't have anything important to say. And this place smells worse than my shed."

He smirked at her and flicked a speck of dust off his jacket. "We're using you as bait. You're from Konoha, correct? You're one of the ninja sent to destroy the Mist resistance. We were following you since you left Konoha to assess your strength. But when you stupidly went out to investigate last night by yourself we just couldn't pass up the opportunity. That one who was with you, he'll come for you. Then we'll catch him and the others will come as well. Who knows how long this will take, so you should eat…"

"You're using me as bait? BAIT? BAKA! I'll kill you!" Kumiko struggled furiously against the bonds.

"Ne, ne, why are you so angry? You don't have to worry; we won't hurt you. We don't hurt innocent people, even if they are ninja."

"That's not it! You said I was weak. I know what you're thinking… I'm not even a ninja yet, but I could beat you to a pulp. Let me go, I'll tear you apart!"

Kumiko didn't care that the man in front of her could probably kill her in a blink of an eye. She was burning hot with anger.

He furrowed his brows. "Not a ninja? Then why were you traveling with one? Or was that guy you're boyfr…"

"If you don't shut up," she growled. "I'll really kill you."

The man sighed. "That scary face again. You're such a hot-head. Perhaps I should take you up on that offer to fight. That'll teach you a lesson. I happen to be a ninja, and you don't stand a chance."

"Whant to give it a go little man?" she asked with an angry glint in her eyes.

He raised his hand to his face and scratched his nose. "Why are you so angry? You'll be let go once we catch everyone and assassinate the Mist's leader."

Never taking her eyes off of the man's Kumiko slowly brought the metal rod out from her pocket. It was lucky that they hadn't taken it away; they probably thought it wasn't harmful. "I'm angry, because you think that I'd let others save me. I completed my last three missions, but not before I was saved by someone else. Each time, I would have died if it wasn't for my friends. If I want to become a true ninja, I have to be able to save myself. I'll do anything to prove it."

The man was turned away from Kumiko, so she couldn't see the faint smile that played on his lips. "Well then…"

There was a sound like the bursting of metal and Kumiko rose from the chair. The man turned around at stared at her surprised. She held in her hand a small metal rod. The room was empty, she hadn't noticed when the other men had left. But it was a good thing; she had a better chance against this one man.

"What are you going to do with that?"

She smiled and flipped a small switch on the bottom. The rod shook and shot out. It stopped four feet in front of her and a small red flag hung from the end, on it said "Kiseki no Yochi" (Miracle of the Earth).

"Unlike the weapons infused with chakra you ninja use, she is made from human hands and the fruits of Mother Nature. The metals of the earth are against you."

The man began to laugh, holding his stomach. "It's just a pole!" he said. "I'm impressed you made it look so shiny. But do you really think it could do anything against a ninja?"

Kumiko ignored his words, and raised the pole into the air and brought it down with full force. It crashed into the stony ground, and the room began to shake.

"Nani?" the man said, wobbling.

"The Earth contains a vast amount of metal. When I created Kiseki no Yochi, I equipped her with a strong magnetic field. By striking her into the ground, I made the metal in the surrounding area ache to meet her. This room is going to collapse."

The man glared at her, then cursed as stones began to fall. "Baka!"

He turned and ran out of the room and Kumiko followed, only to find stones blocking the doorway when she opened it. "Ch…troublesome."

She jammed the pole into the ground and ran her hand along its shaft. Small grooves played under her fingers, so small that one would have to know they were there in order to find them. In the middle she pressed down and the top of the pole opened into an umbrella and grew down to the floor. In darkness Kumiko waited, as the world outside collapsed onto her.

There was a small rumble in the forest and the ground somewhere deep inside fell through into rubble. After all was silent there was a loud crack and Kumiko shot out of the ground, holding the pole above her. She landed on top of a boulder, eyes flitting every which way, searching for the man who took her hostage.

"Oh, so it's not just a pole."

She turned around and blocked a kunai that was aimed at her head. The man came out of the bushes. "Tell me little girl, what else can you do?"

Kumiko grimaced and pointed the pole at the man's head. She ran at him and he drew his sword, holding it out in front. Right before she hit him a spearhead appeared at the front of her pole and slid down the side of the sword. He grabbed the other end of his sword and churned it, trying to disarm her, but she spun around in the air, keeping a tight grip onto her spear and landed in front of him.

"I'll kill you for underestimating me."

The spear disappeared and was replaced by a barrel. She aimed it at the man's head and shot out at him. Laughing, he held the sword in front of him to block. As it neared, spikes protruded from its surface. His eyes widened and he rolled out of the way before it exploded in mid-air.

Kumiko fired again, digging a hole in the ground with her feet from the back-lash, but the man dodged every one.

"Is that all you got? How do you expect to become a ninja with those silly moves?"

Kumiko stopped firing and shoved Kiseki into the ground. Her finger brushed against the side and she smiled. "Ninja must be careful not to let anything through their observations. Tell me, did you notice how I surrounded you with the shells of my exploding bullets?"

The empty dead shells lay around in a perfect circle and the man looked at them confused. The top of the spear opened and made a loud cracking sound as smoke poured out of the top. The man stared up at the sky, waiting for something enormous to come falling onto his head. Nothing happened.

He grinned. "Look like your mechanics failed you. No miracles today, eh?"

All of a sudden, the empty bullet shells rose in the air and went screaming toward him, and Kumiko fired off another five bullets. There was nowhere for him to run, so he jumped, but the bullets followed. He twisted to the side and they turned their flight as well. They zeroed in, crashed into him, then exploded. Only jagged pieces of metal fell onto the ground.


	15. Trouble at the Mist, 4

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shniobi: Trouble at the Mist (chap. 4)

"That would have been bad," a voice said from behind her. She turned around to block a thrust of his sword. "How did you pull that little trick?"

She smiled. "While you were waiting for something huge to fall on your head, a small metal dot attached itself to your sword, or more precisely a tracking device. Too bad that was a replication."

"No matter how tricky you think you are, a real ninja can always protect themselves," he replied, pushing her back.

Kumiko rolled her eyes. "Is that so?"

The bullets rose in the air again and headed toward the man. He gasped and threw Kumiko away. "Oh you think there's only auto-pilot? Well, when the pieces are this small I can manually move them with the field from my spear. I wasn't expecting you to get hit by my first one. This time you won't get away."

The man stared at the pieces flying toward him, and just as they were about to connect a wall of bugs appeared in front of him. The metal fell to the ground and Kumiko stared.

"That's about enough," Shino said, stepping out from the bushes.

"Ai, ai, that was close," the man said rubbing his head, and smiled. He was engulfed with smoke and Kakashi suddenly appeared. "Good thing Shino was here."

Kumiko's jaw fell to the ground.

"Sorry, Kumiko-chan," Kakashi apologized. "It was an order from the Fifth."

Kumiko grumbled while shoveling rice into her mouth. Lee was apologizing furiously, begging her to realize that the Hokage threatened him. After she ate three bowls Shino returned to summon her back to the Hokage mansion.

"You're an ass," she mumbled to his back.

He turned around. "It was my mission," he replied, and she thought she heard amusement in his voice.

Once Kumiko entered the Hokage's office her anger disappeared. Kakashi and Lee were smiling at her from the side of the room.

"Well done," the Fifth said. "I think you've proven you're capable of defending yourself. Mind you, though, your real missions will be tougher, so will your opponents."

Kumiko stared, not saying a word.

"I thought you wanted to be a ninja," the Fifth said in response to Kumiko's silence. "Are you hesitating, after all that work?"

Kumiko shook her head no.

"Good. Now get out of my office and wait for your first mission."

As Lee led her out of the office she passed by Kakashi. "One word of advice: try not to give in to the enemy's taunts so easily."


	16. The Calm Before the Storm, 1

Greetings fans! So the the Chuunin Exams are about to begin. I'm sending out a warning though: the stories are going to be less happy-go-lucky, I can't hold the disturbing part of my mind back any longer. Besides, just like in the actual anime, things get more serious once the Chuunin exams begin. I hope you all will still read and enjoy! Also, I love criticism, so don't forget to let me know what could be fixed or done better.

See you at the exams!

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: The Calm Before the Storm (chap. 1)

Kumiko was snoring on the park bench. She had been so busy lately because the Fifth sent her on any mission that came her way.

"_Since you just became a ninja, we need to catch you up. You must give to the village like the others have," _she told her.

What's worse, Kumiko wasn't part of an official team. Tsunade simply tacked her on to any mission needing (or something not needing) another person. But mostly she was called for odd missions. There seemed to be a lot of problems requiring Kumiko's specialty.

Standing above her was a boy. He was looking down at her. The wind softly blowing a strand of unkempt hair across her nose. She wrinkled it and sneezed.

The boy had his hands in his pockets, kneading his left leg with left hand. Something felt awful, there was something in the air. It smelled like rain without rain. One of those oppressive days. It hung over _her_, the one sleeping on the park bench.

Shikamaru had to wake her up and take her to the Fifth. But he didn't want to. It reminded him of his mission a long while ago. What was it, a whole year? When he brought all his friends along to save Uchicha Sasuke. Why does this day remind him of that?

In her dreams she heard a cough and started awake, wiping the sleep from her eyes.

"You know…the grass is much more comfortable."

Shikamaru loomed above her and he looked out of the corner of his eye sleepily. Kumiko yawned and closed her eyes again.

"Hey hey," he said, and nudged her with his knee. "The Fifth is calling for you."

Kumiko groaned and stood up and stretched her arms.

"How come she sent someone so high and mighty to get _me_?" she asked as they walked through the streets.

He rolled his eyes. "The Chuunin Exams are soon, you know."

She nodded.

Shika put his hands in his pockets and stared up at the sky, then sighed. "Be careful…" His emotions had to be locked away in a small safe. That was true with all shinobi. Lock them away, and when someone is playing with the combination; change it. Besides, this time he can do nothing.

Kumiko glanced up at him and saw his face screwed up in an annoyed frown. He was trying not to be concerned but she knew better.

She punched him on the arm.

"Ow!"

She laughed, he sighed and mumbled troublesome, and together they walked up the Hokage Mansion steps and into Tsunade's office.

The Fifth looked up from her paperwork and saw Kumiko with a wide smile. Tsunade couldn't help but think of a certain knuckleheaded ninja; that was the same look. But his was a special case, he kept that look, though somewhat tapered down. Many times before, the look had disappeared completely. She almost couldn't bear to see another smile disappear.

"So Kumiko…as you know the Chuunin Exams are approaching," she said. " It was hard but, we convinced the board to let you take it. We pulled a few strings to make you an official genin but after that you have to go through the process. They're still not too happy about it, seeing as you have no ninja talents…you have to work harder than the rest."

Kumiko nodded. She knew all along that she was going to have to work harder. Just like Lee; they shared the same path.

The Fifth took a drink of what her assistant Shizune thought was tea. "I _was _going to put you in Ino and Chouji's group since Shikamaru is already a chuunin but…some hyperactive ninja wouldn't get off my case. Lucky for you, the third teammate has fallen sick. Kumiko, you will enter the chuunin exams as the third member of team Rock Lee and Hyuuga Neji. Pack your things, the first test starts tomorrow."

Shikamaru offered to walk her back to her shed and she agreed. She had little to do to prepare for the exams, she was ready since she first became a ninja. She put on a serious face, hiding the small twinge of fear that was welling up inside her.

"I wonder," she began. "If you can become a ninja without your heart encased in stainless steel. That's my specialty, you know, artificial things, but for some reason I find it hard to crack its configuration."

Shikamaru understood her, that's why she said it. They often played riddle games with each other. Whenever she wasn't working in the shed or training with Lee, she sought out Shikamaru. Training the mind was just as essential as training the body.

She heard a sigh. "Don't ask me that. I just want to live a normal life, with a normal family. But when you're IQ is running off the charts, no one's gonna leave you alone."

Coming from anyone else it may have seemed snobbish, but Shika was talking from somewhere deep inside. Kumiko understood. He looked like he wanted to say more, so she walked quietly beside him until he could gather his words.

"Don't get angry with me, but I'm worried about you in the exams. You're strong, ch, too strong if you ask me," he added playfully. "But these exams are different than what you've been doing up until now. Even our mission into that cave… it took brains, but here there's no time to think. One mistake, and, well…it won't be Kakashi in disguise."

Kumiko would have normally gotten angry at such a comment. Of course she knew it was dangerous. But Shikamaru was really worried. "I know," she said. "But if I don't take the exams, I'll be stuck like this forever. I'm the opposite of you: I was forced into a normal life, and I don't want it."

He rolled his eyes at her and she smiled. "Besides…" she said, as a green blur whizzed around a corner ahead of her. "I've got a kick-ass teammate."


	17. The Calm Before the Storm, 2

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: The Calm Before the Storm (chap. 2)

"KUMIKO-SAN!" Lee shouted and leapt at her. "Finally we are acting our dreams together. Let us promise to help each other along the way! Let us promise to triumph! We will, against all odds, have our names be revered throughout the ninja world!"

"Lee!" Kumiko gasped. "I can't breathe."

He released her and hopped from one foot to the other. A ticking time bomb. Shikamaru sighed and mumbled what a drag and Lee's smile was the size of an eagle's wingspan.

"As a celebration, let us go eat curry! You can come too Shikamaru-kun!"

He backed away, "Oh, um…actually I have something I have to do. See you later Kumiko-chan," he waved, and walked away rather quickly.

"We can still go?" Lee asked.

Kumiko sighed and nodded (no sense in bursting his bubble) then followed him to the restaurant.

That night Gai-sensei called them for a team meeting. It was out in the fields where she had sat playing a few weeks ago, her last day before she became a real ninja. Crickets were yelling in the humid air and a few fireflies hung over the field like fairy lights. The four ninja sat in a circle.

Gai gave a heartfelt lecture on teamwork, hard-work, pride and all that jazz. After awhile he insisted that the team have time together to bond and discuss battle strategies. Before he left he knelt by Kumiko and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm not at all worried about you. Don't mind what anyone else says. I see in you what I see in my adorable Lee. Also, you can trust Neji, like you trust Lee. There are things he hides from everyone."

After he was gone there was silence between the three genin. Neji was sitting back on his elbows, eyes closed. Lee was cross-legged, his lips turned down in his serious face, and Kumiko was on her knees staring at the middle of the circle. It was Neji who broke the silence.

"I don't think Kumiko should take the exams."

_There he goes. _"Why not?" she snapped back.

"You're not meant to be a ninja."

"Your personality says you should never have any friends. Yet you do, why is that?" she countered.

Neji's eyebrow twitched and lines appeared above his still closed eyes. "Insults won't change the fact that you are not meant to be a ninja. Everyone has fed you a lie. They like your determination, but that doesn't change the facts. You're not a ninja."

By now Kumiko's face was screwed into a grimace. His words stung, and Kumiko was surprised. She had learned to ignore Neji a long time ago; why did it suddenly hurt again? She clenched her teeth to keep the building water in her eyes from rolling down her cheeks. _Heart of stainless steel. _

"Is it your calling to crush other's dreams? Just because you were born with talent doesn't mean you can treat everyone like they're trash. You stupid spoiled brat. Does it bother you to hang around with commoners like Lee and myself? Maybe you should complain to the Hokage and ask for a team full of nobles, eh? If you didn't have it so easy, then maybe you wouldn't be this way."

Neji was glaring at her, sitting straight up. "Watch what you say."

"Things aren't the same for us. You were born with people listening to what you had to say, we had to earn it. You hear? You don't know the true meaning of working hard to reach your dreams."

Neji suddenly leapt across the circle and tackled Kumiko to the ground. His face was corded with his Byakugan eyes. Rage and hurt betrayed his normally emotionless face. "I didn't have it as easy as you'd like to think," he snarled.

Maybe she had gone too far. But she couldn't help it, he made her so hurt and angry all the time. She wanted him to know what it felt like.

His hands on either side of her head were gripping the grass so tightly she could hear his fingers rubbing against the skin of his hands. His looked frantic as he opened his mouth to speak: "I said it…because you're going into needless danger. Just…just live damn you!"

He stood up and walked away then sat with his back to them a little ways off. His words left her utterly confused. _Just live. _But wasn't that what she was doing? One couldn't live without reaching for a dream. That's the only reason to keep on going. Without a dream, there'd be nothing important to live for.

Lee's arm wrapped around her shoulders and she noticed that the collar of her shirt was wet. "C'mon, let's go."

He walked her home, keeping his hand on her shoulder and didn't say a word. She expected him to give her some kind of lecture on how she wasn't worthless and how she would become a ninja, but he didn't. Neji's attack only made her desire burn fiercer. She was lucky, she had a chance to show him first-hand what she could do. During the chuunin exams she was going to be the hero, no matter what it took. Lee knew this, and let her be.

Next up: Written Examination.


	18. Written Examination, 1

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Written Examination (chap. 1)

Lee drilled all the details he remembered of the last time he took the test into her head on the way to the Ninja Academy. The whole purpose of the examination was to cheat and not get caught.

"So what is this idea you had?" Lee asked as they were walking to meet Neji in front of the Academy.

She smiled. "It's simple. With this." She held up her finger.

Lee stared at it. "Um…you're going to cheat with your finger?"

"Let's find Neji so I can explain it to the both of you."

They found him sitting on a bench in the playground with his eyes closed, arms crossed. Kumiko was going to enjoy this. When they approached he still didn't open his eyes and waited for her to explain the plan.

"Neji is going to cheat and then we're going to cheat off Neji," she explained. "I've got a small camera, here on my finger. All I have to do it stick it to Neji's face and, bingo, we can see his test."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out two small boxes. "In here I've got two lenses that will transmit the signal. You put it on your eye and it looks invisible."

Lee stared at her, not quite understanding. She laughed. "Let's try it out."

She took out her lens and fitted it into her eye, then helped Lee. His eyes watered a bit. "Don't worry you're get used to it."

She then put the camera on Neji's forehead, if not a little roughly, and flicked a switch. Immediately her left eye filled with the view from Neji's forehead. Lee swooned.

"Ahh…dizzy."

"You'll get used to that too."

Neji seemed unimpressed. "Pretty clever, but they know what my byakugan looks like. If I use it to cheat then we'll get caught."

Kumiko smiled evilly inward. "I can fix that."

She pulled out a cylindrical container. She opened it up to reveal a mix the color of Neji's skin, with the consistency of pudding. "I made this last night. I'll put it on you while it's activated and it'll cover up the lines that appear on your face. Unfortunately though, you can't de-activate it because it's very sticky and will crack."

Neji's eyes widened and Lee started to laugh hysterically. "AHAHAH it's like makeup! AHAHAH Neji-kun…makeup, HAHAHA!"

Neji's eyebrow twitched and he scowled. After protests he agreed, it was the only way to pass the exams. After Kumiko put it on she and Lee started to giggle. It made his face look a little too small, and his skin a little too tightly wrapped.

The bell rang 9:00 and the students began to file into the Academy.

As they entered Lee turned to her. "I almost forgot. Last time at the end, there was a twist. They told us the last question decided if you moved on or not. But if you got it wrong, then you could never come back to the chuunin exams, and had to forfeit your ninja title. It was a dirty trick but…I expect we'll get something like it again. Be ready for it, Kumiko-san."

She nodded, and they entered.

The small room was packed with ninja, all in groups of three. Immediately they were spotted by Hinata's team and they huddled together.

"It's still s-scary the second time," Hinata told Kumiko.

Kumiko eyed the room warily. Some of the ninja looked a lot older than the Konoha genin. But this fact didn't scare her.

"Hinata-chan, if they're this old and they still haven't become chuunin, that means we're probably stronger than they are. Our sensei's believe we're ready now, and theirs waited a long time."

"GENIOUS!" Lee shouted in her ear.

Neji grumbled at the attention Lee was attracting, and the annoying pinch the makeup was putting on his face.

"Neji-kun," Hinata asked. "You're face looks strange, are you okay?"


	19. Written Examination, 2

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Written Examination (chap. 2)

A few minutes later Kumiko found herself sitting in the middle row flanked by unknown ninja.

"You have one hour to complete a ten question test. The tenth question will be given in the last fifteen minutes. Begin."

Kumiko focused her attention on her left eye and waited for Neji to begin writing.

The clock was ticking. Though it had only been a few minutes Kumiko was starting to get worried. _Baka, Neji. _For a moment she thought maybe he was doing it on purpose to annoy her but put that out of her mind. He was too serious about these exams. She moved her pencil across the page, pretending that she was writing and thinking and trying hard not to glance at Lee who was a few rows in front of her.

_Tick, tock. _Neji hadn't moved an inch.

"Number 23, disqualified. You and your teammates must leave immediately."

Kumiko watched the shaking man and his two angry teammates rise and be escorted out. She took advantage of the distraction to glance at Lee. He was shaking his pencil nervously. _Neji, what are you doing?_

_Tick, tock. _Twenty minutes had passed.

Suddenly there was movement and Neji began to write. Kumiko had to hold in a shout of elation and instead copied Neji. Ten minutes later she was finished, and sighed in relief.

"Number 49, disqualified. You and your teammates must leave immediately."

There was movement in her eye and she looked down to see faint writing on the bottom of the page.

_You're plan worked so far, _it read. _But it's not over yet. If you make it through the final question, there are worse things to come. _

Since Kumiko couldn't hear Neji's voice she didn't know if he was trying to make her angry or actually concerned. Either way she couldn't answer.

"Fifteen minutes are left in the test. You will now be given the last question."

Kumiko put down her pen and looked to the front of the room. It was the first time she got a good look at the proctors. They sat around the edge, laid-back. She realized then that they probably saw when everyone cheated, and distinguished between the ones who did it sloppily and those who were more cunning. The man in the front of the room was the same as the one last year: Ibiki Morino. Lee warned her about him, how he made the most grueling last questions of all. His questions allowed for nothing but character, no studying, no preparation. Only the ones who have the right hearts would move on to become ninja.

He stared at the genin. "This year we are conducting the exams a little differently in order to accommodate this final question. To move on to the second examination, you must stand and explain to the proctors how your teammates cheated. We know that all of you cheated. If you do so, the ones who stayed will be put into different teams of three and continue on to the exams. You have fifteen minutes to decide. At the end you will raise your hand if you are willing to move on, and the rest will have to leave. Oh, there's one more rule. If you refuse to tell you cannot enter the examinations for fifteen years, and if you do tell, your teammates cannot enter the examinations for fifteen year."

Kumiko's mouth fell open. She looked at Lee who was looking at her. They simply stared, no emotion but shock on their face. Slowly, his face screwed into one of panic and sadness, while hers was angry. _What kind of question is this? It's not even a question!_

Her mind ran in circles. She wanted her dream, but she could never take away another's. Lee wanted this as much as she did. She couldn't possible leave him so far behind. She looked back up at Lee and saw him smiling sadly at her. He had made up his mind.

She shook her head, and shouted at him in her mind. He wasn't going to tattle, he would never tattle, not on her, and he probably made up his mind the minute the question was asked. Kumiko wanted to hit herself, for even considering selling out her teammates. Especially Lee. They had made a promise to work hard together, and it would mean nothing to go on alone.

She took a deep breath and sunk down into her chair, and glimpsed Neji off to her left. Suddenly she panicked. Neji hated her, and didn't feel any stong connection to Lee. Nothing was stopping him from telling on her and Lee.

"Time's up."

The room was sweating, anxiety leaking out of the walls themselves. Slowly hands began to rise. She trained her eyes on Neji.

"Ten seconds to decide."

Neji didn't move a muscle. Kumiko could only hope that there was an added trick to this question. That in the end they would be allowed to continue because they refused to jump over their teammates. But suddenly she found herself outside of the Academy, surrounded by many unhappy faces. The faces of those who didn't raise their hands.

Lee, Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Ino, Chouji, Sakura…Neji. The nine of them huddled together in the crowd and stared at each other with no expression on their faces. They were blank, unable to comprehend what just happened.

Hinata bowed her head and it hung limply on her shoulders. Some other ninja panicked and ran back into the academy, hoping they could save themselves.

After a few minutes Ibiki Morino appeared in the doorway. The genin looked up at him, some with tears in their eyes, but none tried to plead for a second chance.

"Congratulations, you all pass!"

A shocked silence was followed by an eruption of applause and cheers. Lee and Kumiko hugged each other and tears fell from Lee's eyes.

Morino raised his hand for silence. "Many times a shinobi is taken hostage and tortured for names or information. Sometimes in exchange for his very life. A true ninja would never sell-out his village, and most importantly his friends. A true ninja can be trusted to the ends of the earth, to the edge of death."

The ninja who raised their hands began to file out from the side door of the academy, sad and shameful looks in their eyes.

"You have one hour for lunch and to gather your things. You will meet on the edge of the Forest of Death for the second part of the examination. Good luck."

He disappeared in a poof of smoke, and the academy grounds began to empty. The nine Konoha genin all left together to have a last lunch, before they were forced to become enemies for a long, long time.

Next up: Creatures in the Dark. Things really start to get messed up in the Forest of Death.


	20. Creatures in the Dark, 1

Warning: This one is violent.

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Creatures in the Dark (chap.1)

Kumiko sat up for the last watch. It was cold, dark. Things rattled and tittered in the bushes to all sides. In the Forest of Death not only did one have to fear fellow ninja, but also the creatures that lurked in the midst of towering trees. They were riddled with holes that could fit ten humans inside, but anyone who dared to look would find themselves caught in sticky webs that no kunai could hope to cut through. At the bases of these monstrous trees there were hidden caverns, covered by leaves and dirt, and inside, creatures that lurked in gelatinous ooze. If you were quiet, you could hear them breathing underground. Kumiko sat stock still, infrared goggled strapped tightly against her sweating brow.

It was hard to tell the day from the night while in the midst of the forest. One had to rely on the small patches of light that showed themselves every once and awhile on the forest floor. Kumiko made sure to camp under one of those patches of light, so upon waking they'd know if it was day or night. Her teammates were sleeping peacefully beside her. Neji had no expression, as always, and Lee's mouth was open and drooling profusely.

They had been wandering through the forest for just one day, but it only took a few seconds for the chills to run up Kumiko's spine when they delved deep into the Forest of Death. She couldn't understand why her teammates didn't feel it, feel it watching them. They feared nothing but failure in the exams, and watched for nothing but other ninja. That's what all the ninja did. But Kumiko feared the forest itself. She could sense immediately, that there were things in there more deadly than any shinobi taking the exams.

"Why would they hold an exam for budding ninja in such a place?" she wondered aloud.

She suffered through one more hour before her teammates stirred and woke to a dark morning. As they rubbed the sleepiness from their eyes and ate a small breakfast Kumiko stared out ahead.

Lee approached her. "Kumiko-san, what's wrong?"

She shook her head.

"Don't worry, we are skilled. I'm sure we can fight off any ninja that comes our way," Lee reassured her.

Kumiko hoisted her bag up and onto her back then tightened the straps. "I'm not worried about ninja," she replied and started forward.

They had to walk along the floor slowly that day because no light found its way through to the bottom. Neji led them, peering into the hazy gloom. Kumiko's watch read 1:00 when they stopped for lunch. They built a small fire and ate the ramen they had packed the night before they set out.

Neji and Lee argued about the plan to get an Earth scroll. Lee wanted to find someone right away and Neji wanted to reach the destination first. Kumiko wasn't listening. She was focused on the darkness to her right, and the shuffling noise she thought was coming from that direction. Ramen noodles were hanging from her mouth, dripping onto the ground between her feet.

"Kumiko-san, I leave the decision to you. If you choose Neji's plan over mine, I will not hold a grudge. Because I trust your judgment!"

Kumiko shushed Lee angrily and the three sat in silence.

"Can't you feel it?" she asked. "It's been there all day. Something has been following us since we woke up this morning. Since neither of you said anything I figured it was my imagination, but I'm not convinced anymore."

"I feel it," Neji said. He activated his byakugan and looked into the forest, his brows furrowed then grew wide. "What the hell is that?"

"Wha…" Lee began but Kumiko wrapped her hand around his mouth.

The forest was quiet, the three shinobi hadn't noticed when it become so. Then suddenly the insects of the forest all started shouting their own special cries from ahead. They seemed to scream at the ninja, whether in warning or in fear they didn't know. Then they were silent as well.

"Neji…" Kumiko said softly.

His face was locked into a grimace, "Don't…move…" he whispered.

There was a creaking sound, and a shuffle of a thousand feet. Out of the darkness something long, brown, and thin came out. It approached hesitantly, feeling the ground as if smelling it. It stopped a few feet in front of Neji, he couldn't help but take a step back and the thing followed the sound. It reached the tip of his toe and ran around his foot and up the side of his leg.

Another one appeared and put itself straight onto Neji's face. The hairs on the back of Kumiko's neck stood on end as she watched it leave smudges of clear ooze behind wherever it touched his skin, the little hairs that covered it's surface seemed to strain towards him.

Suddenly they pulled away and disappeared from whence they came.

"What is it?" Kumiko asked.

Neji shook his head. "I'm not sure."

The silence was broken by a noise like someone quickly clacking wooden blocks together. The three ninja stood back to back. They readied themselves for whatever was about to come out from the forest depths.

Neji and Lee were watching their respective parts of the forest, when suddenly they heard their third teammate scream in terror, followed by a much louder scream of the monster that had appeared before them.


	21. Creatures in the Dark, 2

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Creatures in the Dark (chap.2)

The bushes ahead began to melt from a substance that dripped and bubbled and steamed as it hit the delicate leaves. Two enormous pinchers clacked together and a mouth lined with teeth that spat out the gooey substance. The giant centipede, looming thirty feet above the three shinobi screeched again, and darted forward.

The three ninja dispersed as it hit the ground, throwing up dust and dirt. Neji turned in mid-air and threw his kunai at its head but the beast didn't seem to notice. Lee leapt from the trees where he was hiding and pummeled his fist onto the centipede's head but its skin was too hard. Lee fell to the ground, clutching his fist.

Neji appeared next to Kumiko who was hiding in the bushes.

"Its body is surrounding the clearing, we can't escape."

Lee rolled to the side as it dug its pinches into the ground, aiming to kill, then rebelled with a kick off the ground. "Its body is too hard!" he shouted, dodging another attack and leaping back into the treetops.

The centipede screamed in anger and thrashed its body, making the ground rumble beneath the three shinobi. Lee then appeared beside the two of them, breathing hard. "We need a plan."

They were cut short as the monster located their voices and thrust its head at them hiding in the bushes. Neji and Lee leapt into the air and Kumiko ran to the side. Her teammates were safe in the treetops but Kumiko felt the impact and fell forward and rolled out into the open, gathering dirt and twigs. When she stood up she noticed her leg was bleeding where she scraped it on a thorn bush and the centipede reared back and howled.

The monster began a crash course through the bushes and brambles to catch its bleeding prey. Kumiko ran wildly, bent only on escape. One wrong move and it would have her.

She came upon a giant undulating wall and realized that it was the monster's body. She may have been able to scale it but she didn't have time. The centipede came out of the treetops and dove down at her, she leapt forward and rolled under its long upper body and ran back the way she came, with the clacking of the beast's pinchers in her ear.

All too soon she came upon the monster's body again. She was tired and sweaty, unsure if she could slip through another attack. She turned around to face the on-coming enemy and readied herself to jump. As is neared her she leapt out of the way at the last possible second and it rammed into itself. It thrashed and screamed in pain as a sticky green substance oozed out of its body.

Kumiko fell over and bounced on the ground, landing on her arm at an awkward angle. She bit her lip. It was broken. The ground continued to shake and she couldn't get her footing and instead stumbled away, earning nicks and scrapes all over her body. She rolled over onto her back just in time to watch the creature loom above her and plunge down. But before contact there was a green blur as Lee scooped her up into his arms and brought her up to the treetops into safety. Meanwhile Neji threw three explosive notes down onto the beast and they exploded on its face.

The beast reached its head up to the treetops and with a squeal fell down to the ground, upsetting earth and rising motes of dust into the air. Kumiko coughed and covered her nose with her hand to ward off the putrid stink that came from the silent monster. Lee shielded his eyes from the dust, keeping one arm around Kumiko's waist so she wouldn't fall out of the tree. But as they were about to congratulate themselves the monster stirred and lashed out its pinchers and caught Neji in the side and hurled him out of sight. Lee released Kumiko and flew out of the treetops but was stopped when the creature writhed and splattered acid and green blood on the surrounding forest. All he could do was dodge.

Kumiko reached into her pack and pulled out Kiseki no Yochi. Eyes trained on Lee she opened it into a spear and held on it tightly with her one good arm. _Only one shot._

Her broken arm began to throb and she clutched at it, digging her nails into her forearm. She watched Lee frantically dodge the spluttering acid. Even he couldn't keep up with it. Sooner or later the monster would have him. Neji limped out of the bushes and joined in the battle. All Kumiko could do was watch.

The giant centipede wriggled its entire body and shook the ground underneath it and the two shinobi lost their footings and fell to the ground in a pile. A split second was all the monster needed to catch its prey. But as it reveled in its near victory there was a cry from above and Kumiko leapt out of the treetops her entire body wrapped around her spear and aimed straight at the monster's head.

Neji and Lee looked up to see their third teammate soaring through the air. Her hair was matted with dirt and leaves and her blue eyes had changed into black slits and predatorial, all rational thought disappeared. She was wrapped around the spear like an animal. They recognized immediately that something was wrong. The sight of her was almost more frightening than the monster that was bearing down on them from above.

With a loud crack she pierced right through its head and out the other side, the momentum bringing it to the ground and pinning it there. It thrashed its backside violently and Kumiko leapt off of the spear and onto its back. She howled and shoved her nails into the centipede's eye and ripped it out, then threw it off into the forest. Its movements slowed to a wiggle, then a twitch. But Kumiko was still raging, and she dug her teeth into its head and surfaced with part of its skin hanging from her mouth.

The giant centipede bucked and she lost her footing and fell to the ground. As Lee's hands caught her she began to struggle against him. The monster gave one final cough in defiance to its defeat and spat out a glob of acid mixed with green blood. Lee was too slow, and it hit Kumiko on the leg. Immediately her eyes turned back to normal and she became limp.

"Lee…" she said.

"Hold on, I got you. I got you," he replied.

The two shinobi fell to the ground. Kumiko looked down at her leg and saw bubbles forming on her skin, then oozing down her thigh to sizzle on the ground. The monster quieted for the last time. The shock wore off after a few seconds and she opened her mouth, and screamed.


	22. Creatures in the Dark, 3

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Creatures in the Dark (chap.3)

Hinata, Kiba and Shino stopped suddenly in their tracks. A strangled cry pierced the dank forest and cut through the air like a knife. Hinata clung onto the arm of Kiba's jacket. The forest was cut again by that terrible sound.

"K-Kumiko-chan," Hinata stuttered and gripped Kiba tighter.

Elsewhere in the forest Sakura, Ino, and Chouji were listening. The sound chilled their bones. Ahead of them something was crashing through the bushes, and a tear-streaked Lee appeared and collapsed at their feet.

"Please," he panted. "S-Sakura-san."

Kumiko was on the edge of passing out. Sakura sat above her, forehead drenched in sweat, fighting back the horror that was welling up in her heart. The green light slowly made the bubbling cease, and close and mend the damaged tissue around it. But as a result, Kumiko could get no rest from the pain. Every time she was on the edge of passing out, Sakura would cure a little bit more, and she'd be left with stars in her eyes. It was torture.

The rest of the Konoha genin were crowded together, some of them watching, others turned away. Lee sat alone on the side. Kumiko's screams couldn't be blocked out, even through his covered ears. He hunched over into a ball. The image of her face, mouth open wide and that terrible noise, had etched itself into his memory. His iron resolve had all but disappeared in the blink of an eye. His heart was breaking.

_Please, let it stop._

The tears started quietly, and then ran freely down his cheeks and onto the ground between his legs. For the first time in many years Lee let go and he cried, and cried.

Kumiko woke to darkness and a small sobbing noise. The Konoha nine were sleeping in a circle around her. Above her sat her best friend Lee, eyes puffy, voice hoarse, he couldn't even cry himself to sleep.

He saw her looking at him. "K-Kumiko-san," he stuttered. "We have to f-forfeit the exams."

Before her, the iron-willed, hard-working, loyal friend she knew for as long as she could remember was cracking. Before this day she didn't think he was capable of turning into what he was now.

She put a weak hand on his leg but couldn't speak, her voice was gone.

"I can't take it. It hurts more than the time with Gaara at the previous exams. If it happens again I'll d-die," he sniffed loudly.

She gripped him tighter and smiled, then shook her head no. Lee started to sob again and she held onto him. Soon he quieted himself and wiped his nose with the back of his sleeve. Kumiko rolled her eyes at his action and he let out a small laugh.

"Even now you still look after me," he said.

_I'll always look after you, Lee._

"I'll always look after you," he echoed out loud.

Her eyes told him to sleep and she pulled her hand away. Lee reached forward and caught her retreating hand in his. "Wait…" he couldn't close his eyes without touching her. That way, he'd know she was still there.

She nodded and he tentatively laid down next to her and she smiled as he sniffled and wiped his nose again. Though she was the injured one, Lee looked so much worse: pained and pitiful. He held his friends next to his heart and no one was held closer than Kumiko.

She easily drifted off to sleep, and Lee followed her.

When she woke the next morning the rest of the Konoha genin was smiling down on her. Lee was wrapped protectively around her, holding her gently but firmly. No one would ever take her away from him. She shifted and he opened his eyes, lifting his face from the back of her neck. Some of the genin giggled and he blushed and sat up, rubbing the back of his head.

The other teams left after noon and Kumiko thanked Sakura.

"_This is a competition that sets friends against one another," _she had said. "_But in the end it's just a competition, and none of us had to think twice before following Lee to find you."_

After they had gone she tried to stand but Neji wouldn't let her."_We're staying here. Tomorrow we'll start again."_

Lee sat next to her for the rest of the day, doing all her could to comfort her, and Neji prowled the borders of their camp.

Next up: Treetops and Scrolls


	23. Treetops and Scrolls, 1

Hello all! Unfortunately school is back in session so it's going to be a little slow going from now until summer. I've got a few chapters in reserve and they'll come up slowly. So, sorry about that, but the Chronicles are most defiantly not over!

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Treetops and Scrolls (chap.1)

Lee dropped his weights and sped off into the forest. Neji stamped out the edges of the fire from the night before and spread the ashes while Kumiko was rummaging through her bag. They had until sunrise the next morning and the second half of the exam would be over. They were half a day away from the destination and still needed the Earth scroll.

The two shinobi sat in silence waiting for their third teammate to return. Kumiko felt eyes on her face and turned to see Neji staring at her.

"What?"

He blinked but didn't turn away.

"Oh, so you want a staring contest? Fine by me!" she said and crossed her arms.

"You don't remember, do you," he said.

She furrowed her brow. "Wha…"

"You don't remember how we defeated that giant bug," he stated rather than asked.

She shook her head and shrugged. "I assume one of you guys killed it, I don't know."

Neji looked down at his lap and was silent.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"What do you remember?" he said, ignoring her question.

"I remember running away from that thing, Lee grabbing me and brining me up to the trees, watching you two fighting it beneath me, then…" she paused. "Then I was in Lee's arms again by the ground. And that monster had spat acid on my leg. What does this have to do with anything?"

Neji opened his mouth but closed it when Lee appeared from the hedges.

"I have found a river. Let us catch our breakfast there!" he said cheerily and gathered his weights and put them back around his ankles.

Neji stood, "Not in front of Lee," he said to her and followed Lee out of the campsite.

A few minutes later they were standing on the banks of the river. The trees broke to make way for the clear waters and for the first in many days the three ninja were covered in uninterrupted sunlight. Kumiko breathed in the air happily.

Lee waded into the water and caught three fish in no time and Neji cooked them over a fire. Kumiko rolled up her pants' legs and stepped into the icy waters then peered ahead. Just on the edge of her vision she saw the meeting house looming above the treetops.

"Neji, you make a good cook," Lee complimented.

Neji huffed and took a bite out of his fish. "We're half a day away," he said. "If we leave in an hour we'll get there with the whole night and a few hours to spare to obtain an Earth scroll. It'll be difficult because by that time the other teams will have had time to set up traps and lie in wait."

"It is unfortunate that we do not have more time," Lee sighed.

Kumiko licked her finger and leaned back on her elbows. "I think I can fix that."

They looked at her. "Besides, it's my fault that we lost so much time," she turned back to look in the direction of the meeting house. "I can get us there in fifteen minutes."

Lee's eyes widened. "Segoi! You're amazing Kumiko-san!"

"I have a bad feeling about this," Neji grumbled.

Kumiko smiled. "Just shut up and trust me."

Kumiko emptied her bag onto the ground and had Neji and Lee store her excess things in their own packs. Then she began to fiddle with with the inside of hers. Most of what she had been carrying were odd pieces of metal and mechanical parts.

"I'm glad I didn't bring all this for nothing," she mumbled, fitting a metal box into the bottom of the bag.

A few minutes later she was finished and borrowed chakra from both of her teammates. "For the kick start," she explained.

"It looks the same," Neji observed as they stood looking down at her pack.

Kumiko scowled and ignored him. She lifted it up onto Lee's back and tightened the straps, and he stood blinking at her. "Okay, now jump onto Neji's back."

"Nani?!" they both said.

"Just do it!"

"But…it is wrong for a man to carry another man on his back," Lee protested.

Kumiko put her hands on her hips. "There's only one configuration that's going to let this thing work. The strongest has to have it on his back. Besides, Neji won't be carrying you after lift-off."

"NANI?!" they both yelled again.

"I call this thing is a jet-pack," she said poking Lee in the stomach. "The chakra I borrowed is going to kickstart the engine and launch us into the air. Then we'll angle forward and fly over the forest. It should have just enough gas to get us there."

"S-sounds dangerous," Lee said.

"Do you want to pass these exams or not?"

They both stared at her and Lee brought his fist up to his face and clenched it tightly. He bit his lip. "HAI, KUMIKO-SAN!" he shouted, tears of determination in his eyes.

He looked to Neji whose eyebrows were twitching. "Absolutely not."

Kumiko stomped over to him and stuck her nose in his face. "What's that destiny-boy?"

He growled at her and she flicked her finger at his forehead. "I'm gonna beat you senseless if we fail because of your pride," she threatened.

A few seconds later a very unhappy Neji was holding Lee on his back. Kumiko fixed a few last things on the pack then stepped away.

"Okay here's how it goes: When we take off, Lee will be holding both our weights. Just hold onto Neji as tightly as you can and Neji will hold onto me while I try to drive this thing."

She walked up to Neji and he took her in his arms.

"This just gets better and better."

"I'm not enjoying this anymore than you are," she countered.

She reached around Neji and took a string in her hand. "Ready?" they nodded. "Five, four, three two, one…lift-off!"


	24. Treetops and Scrolls, 2

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Treetops and Scrolls (chap.2)

She yanked on the string.

The pack sputtered then flames burst out the bottom. It launched them straight up in the air and they all screamed in terror. The force ripped Lee's legs away from Neji so only his arms were holding him. Neji started to slip and Lee caught him around the stomach making Neji bend at the waist and double over. The wind was knocked out of him and his grip on Kumiko loosened.

"Baka!" she shouted as she began to slip but grabbed onto Neji's hands.

The three shinobi lurched through the air, coughing up exhaust in their wake. Lee's face was scrunched into a grimace as he flew parallel to the ground, his arm muscles straining to keep themselves wrapped around Neji's waist. Neji breathed in shuddering gasps as Lee's hands dug into his stomach and Kumiko's weight threatened to make him fall headfirst toward the ground. Neji had Kumiko by just one arm and she dangled dangerously close to the tree tops rushing by under them.

"Up! Up!" she yelled.

"Chikushou!" Lee screamed and Kumiko lifted her feet as they lowered closer to the trees.

"Pull me up!" she shouted and wiggled in Neji's grasp.

Neji clenched his teeth. "I can't…even…breathe!"

Kumiko brought her knees to her chin as her butt grazed the tops of the trees. She panicked as a particularly large tree came rushing at them and she yelped and kicked off the trunk.

The jet-pack sputtered and spun in the air then righted itself and Kumiko began to windmill her legs and ran across the canopy to keep them from falling under.

"Don't close your eyes!!" she yelled at Lee.

Hinata was gathering water from the river for her team when a terrible racket sounded overhead. She looked up and dropped her water as her cousin and best friend flew overhead, yelling, sputtering and kicking. Up ahead her teammate Kiba fell to the ground clutching his stomach in laughter.

"Bakas…" Shino huffed.

Their destination loomed ahead. "Kumiko-san, how do we stop?"

"I can't reach the pack!" she yelled back.

The three shinobi stareed fearfully at the fast approaching building. "We're going in for a crash landing!"

"You've got to be kidding," Neji sputtered.

The ninja screamed then smashed into the side of the building. Kumiko latched onto the wall and the jet-pack bounced Lee off the surface and turned him upside down, ripping him away from Neji and shooting him backwards to be swallowed by trees. Neji missed the wall.

"Baka!" Kumiko yelled and tried to catch him and lost her footing.

The ground beneath her was soft and felt like it was moving. She shook the stars out of her eyes and then tried to lift her head. She groaned as her muscles twitched and protested the movement and her head fell back down and she was limp.

There was s grunt beneath her. "Teme, don't move."

When she realized she was lying on top of Neji she started and tried to jerk away but yelped as things cracked and fell back down on top of him.

"I can't move," she mumbled.

"It's fine," he replied. "Just stay still…baka."

They waited patiently in the forest and against her better judgment Kumiko found herself quite comfortable.

"You're insane, you know that?" Neji said after a few minutes of silence.

Kumiko detected no malice in his words and sighed. "I've been told that."

She heard his heartbeat quicken and he lifted his right arm and placed it on her back. She hoped he couldn't hear her heart as well.

"I-It's more comfortable like this," he explained quickly.

Silence.

"Oh."

Suddenly Lee came out of the bushes. His hair was a messand his clothes tattered and dirt streaked. He stared at them.

"We fell like this…"

"…couldn't move and…"

"…hurts too much."

They both frantically explained.

Lee nodded and helped Kumiko stand.

Neji dusted himself off. "Well that's the last time I trust you."

"If it wasn't for me we'd still be walking along that river," she countered.

"Well at least we wouldn't be injured and I wouldn't have had to lie on the ground like that with you."

"Hey, you seemed pretty comfortable there for a few minutes."

"In your dreams."

"You wanna go little man?"

Lee had to forcefully pull them away from each other and made Kumiko walk in front of him and Neji behind.


	25. Treetops and Scrolls, 3

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Treetops and Scrolls (chap.3)

They stopped under cover of bushes and watched as Neji scanned the area, but though he couldn't see anything lurking up ahead it didn 't mean nothing was there. They decided to split up and make their way carefully to the meeting house.

Kumiko produced three heatsets and handed them out. "See you there," she said to Lee and he moved away to her right, Neji to her left.

Once their footsteps disappeared she started forward, slowly, careful to check the ground before each step. The plan was to reach the side of the meeting house away from danger, then plan from there. The worst possible situation would be if one of them got caught now. But she trusted her teammates.

Kumiko was so quiet that the thumping of her heart was loudest and she was sure it could be heard for miles. She crept forward, avoiding patches of sunlight and deep brushes. She had almost made it to the wall when her headset crackled and Lee's voice came on the line.

"Come and see this."

A few minutes later the three shinobi were gathered in a shrub and looking onto a small clearing. Lying in the middle, covered in a path of sunlight was an Earth scroll.

"That's so obvious," Kumiko said.

Her teammates nodded.

Neji searched the surrounding area and found the ninja who laid the trap hiding in the treetops. They hadn't noticed Neji, Lee, and Kumiko in the bushes below them.

"Let's go," Lee said after awhile. "It's obviously a trap."

He turned but Kumiko put a hand on his arm.

"We need that scroll," she said. "I think I can get it. First of all, no matter the circumstance, this scenario is more promising than an all out fight. If we succeed, then there's no physical harm done and we have a scroll, if we fail then we'll have to fight anyway. Secondly, this bait is so blatantly obvious there's a good chance the ones who laid it are amateurs. Lastly, this kind of thing is my specialty. I believe if we can make a quick job of this than it's worth the risk."

Lee immediately agreed with her, as she knew he would, but Neji was a different matter. Surprisingly, though, he nodded in agreement.

The sun moved slowly overhead as Kumiko formulated a plan. Neji never moved his eyes from the unsuspecting ninja in the treetops and Lee sat patiently beside her. They had all night to carry out their plan and Kumiko would make it fool-proof. There could be no mistakes. Finally, as the sun began to dip behind the trees, Kumiko gathered her teammates to her and laid out the plan. By cover of darkness they were ready.

Lee stealthily scaled the tree the ninja were hiding in and Kumiko dug out of her pack a bunch of small needles. They were clear, and very small, an invention of her father's. In the workplace they were used to patch metal without showing the needles themselves. They were very difficult to make and it took Kumiko half a year to be able to make her first one successfully. Not only were they virtually invisible, they were sharpened to thoroughly that the edge stretched on a few millimeters beyond the visible end. It could cut right through metal.

She pulled out a small contraption shaped like a crossbow and put one of the needled inside. After she became a true ninja she realized the potential for her father's needles and converted them into weapons. She was also a great shot. She fitted the piece to her bow and looked through a green haze at the scroll lying tantalizingly out in the open. Neji reported twenty trip wires attached to the scroll.

Kumiko aimed and let fly. The needle sliced cleanly through the first wire, making not a sound. She paused.

"Clear," Neji's voice crackled in her ear.

She smiled, now it was only a matter of time, precision, and patience.

Two hours and thirty needles later the last wire was cut and Kumiko radioed into Lee.

"Hai," he answered, his legs, free of weights, itching to be let loose.

"Hn," Neji replied after.

While Kumiko was shooting needles Lee had crept up behind the ninja with a length of rope in his hands.

"Three, two, one…go," Kumiko whispered.

Lee took off and whizzed by the ninja and over the branch above them, trailing the rope. All they felt was a breeze. While doing so Neji burst from the bushes, grabbed the scroll from the clearing and took off as fast as he could.

The ninja all blinked in surprise, the leapt up to pursue but Lee had lassoed them together while they were distracted. When they realized what happened Lee jumped off of the tree, kicking with all his might, and hoisted the ninja into the air.

When he hit the ground Kumiko grabbed the rope and tied it securely to the base of the tree.

"Bastards!" the ninja screamed and bunked against the tree trunk.

Kumiko couldn't help it and burst out laughing and Lee had to drag her away.

They met up with Neji leaning against the side of the meeting house. The corners of his mouth were turned up in a rare smile and he held the scroll out for them to see.

Without hesitating they pushed open the door, breaking the seal, and walked inside.

Next up: Reunion.


	26. Reunion

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Reunion

When Gai-Sensei poofed into existence as Kumiko, Lee, and Neji opened the Heaven and Earth scrolls, even Neji was too elated to become annoyed by his melodramatic teary eyes and blubbering. But now, standing in three lines of six, Kumiko was starting to get anxious.

Immediately they were called into the large room, and ordered to line up and wait until the time limit was reached. Ahead was the Hokage, and all the other examiners as well as each team's sensei. It was very frightening.

Kumiko shifted her feet and clenched and unclenched her fists. She, along with everyone else, was tired. But no one wanted to be the first to complain.

She moved her head around the room in awe. Neji and Lee as well as the other Konoha genin had all seen this room before. It was beautiful and terrifying at the same time. She glanced at Lee: this place held a lot of pain for him.

She then looked at the other ninja, trying to spot her friends.

_There's Hinata, Kiba and Shino._

She moved her head a little. _Behind them, Sakura, Ino and Chouji._

Kumiko sighed in relief. Everyone was there. She lost interest after she found her friends but something caught the corner of her eye as she turned back to the front. She craned her neck around to look past Neji who was standing behind her and saw in the back, red hair, a fan, then someone with a black hood.

Kankuro was staring at her.

She smiled and waved at him and he blushed under his purple makeup and waved back. Temari rolled her eyes at her big brother.

"What are you doing?" Neji asked annoyed.

She scrunched her face in a frown. "Mind your own business."

He scoffed and she turned back to the front.

"Congratulations everyone for passing the second part of the exam!" Tsunade said loudly.

The genin hushed. "Well, the third and final part of the examination will be individual battles chosen randomly. This year, some of the elders have a tight schedule and the battles will be held in two days."

The genin all gasped and started whispering to each other.

"Excuse me, Hokage-sama," Sakura said. "But that is not enough time to fully recover."

Tsunade wrinkled her nose. "I know. But that is the decision. Besides, on a mission you may not have time to fully recover. In the final examination. Losing your respective battles does not mean that you will not become a chuunin. The judges will be watching for skill and intellect. Now, before we go we will assign your opponents."

All eyes turned to the screen on the wall. The names flicked by.

**Haruno Sakura vs. Yamanaka Ino**

Kumiko put her hand in front of her mouth to keep from giggling as the two girls shot electric glares at each other.

The names passed on by and Kumiko prayed that she wouldn't be set against either of her teammates. She couldn't bear to fight Lee, and Neji… well, he already hated her.

**Inuzuka Kiba vs. Rock Lee**

Lee's eyes burned and he set his face in a grimace. Kumiko peeked over to Kiba who was rolling his eyes.

**Kobayashi Kumiko vs. Kankurou**

Kumiko froze.

_No…no, that can't happen._

She whipped her head around to look at Kankurou and saw him staring fearfully up at the screen. He felt her watching him and looked at her, panic on his face.

The last two names came up and they were dismissed.

……………………………………………….

Lee ran straight to the training grounds after they returned to Konoha and Neji disappeared. It was noon so Kumiko wandered around the village to look for a place to eat. As she passed by Ichiraku Ramen she saw a pair of sandaled feet and black clad legs poking out the bottom. Next to it was an oblong object wrapped in white bandages.

Kumiko entered the shop and sat down next to Kankurou who was swirling his chopsticks in his ramen bowl.

"You're looking pretty down," she said.

He started and turned toward her then nodded and continued to swirl his ramen. She ordered a bowl and sat waiting, allowing Kankurou a chance to gather his thoughts.

When he didn't speak Kumiko put her arm around his shoulders. "I'm glad to see you again. Sorry I didn't visit but I was really busy. In case you haven't noticed, I became a ninja!" she laughed half-heartedly and stopped when Kankurou didn't respond.

After a few moments of silence he finally spoke.

"It's just…I was so excited on the way here. Excited to see you again, but then at the exams…I wish I hadn't come."

Kumiko's ramen came and she broke her chopsticks and stuck it in the noodles.

In some ways this situation was just as bad as it would have been if Lee had been her opponent. Lee would most likely have forfeited if they were set against one another. But here…Kankurou would probably go easy on her.

"Kankurou…" she said. "We became good friends that long time ago at the Sand. It may seem strange but…a real friend would fight his hardest against the other."

"But…"

"Look at it this way. If one of us went east on the other, it may seem that in the moment he was doing the winner a favor. But later on, when his friend is a chuunin and comes face to face with real danger…they would be in a situation that they wouldn't have been in if that friend hadn't let them win. There's more: if a friend went easy on the other, then it means that friend does not trust the other's skills. He doesn't believe in them. That's probably worse."

Kumiko had been staring straight ahead while talking and when she turned back saw that Kankurou was watching her.

"Kumiko-san…do you think I don't know that? I understand what you're saying; I believe in that. But…that's not the problem."

Kumiko was thoroughly confused. "What do you mean?"

As Kankurou was silent she wracked her brain for what could be the problem. _He looks so miserable. _

The two ramen bowls sat steaming on the counter-tops. The tendrils rising in the air only to be whisked away by the breeze blowing through the underside of the shop. Another customer came into the shop and sat at the opposite end. Aside from his quiet slurping of the soup there was only muffled noise from the street on the outside.

"Don't worry about hurting me," Kumiko said. "We're not fighting to the death. Also you remember what the Hokage said; if you lose it doesn't mean you can't become a chuunin. It's just a battle…"

"No, no, no, that's not it!" he said shaking his head. "I trust your skills. Hell, I saw you take down an entire ninja army. I'm not worried about either of us failing. I just can't bring myself to…"

Kumiko was lost. "What?"

"I can't face you in the chuunin exams, because I… because I…I…"

He stopped and buried his face in his arms on the table. She instinctively placed her hand on his back to try and comfort him, though she had no idea what was happening. After a few seconds he raised his head, his purple makeup smeared all over his face.

Kumiko held back a giggle.

"What? What's so funny?"

She pointed to his face and he scowled. "Damnit, this always happens!"

Kumiko helped him wipe off all the makeup and saw for the first time his real face. He looked so different.

They both turned back to their ramen and cringed because it had gotten cold. Then over laughter they chugged the bowls and ordered fresh hot ones. After their third bowl Kankurou turned to her.

"What you said before is true. I'd be hurting you more if I held back. I won't say I'll go all out, but I'll try my best."

Kumiko shrugged. "That's all fine but, what are you gonna do when I beat you up?"

They laughed. "Well, I think I'm going to go home and sleep," she said. I "'m full and tired and I got to get ready. You should rest too."

Kankurou nodded.

Kumiko smiled and waved before she left.

The man behind the counter asked Kankurou he wanted anything else and he shook his head. For him, this would be the hardest challenge of them all. He didn't care so much about the exams anymore, not after he saw _her_. What he cared about most, was doing what he could to help her with her dream. And that called for a real battle, not a fake one.

Kumiko fell asleep before she could change her clothes and woke up mid-morning the next day. After showering and a small breakfast she rushed over to her shop. She passed through Lee's dojo where he was already in a sweat and waved to him. He nodded seriously back and shouted while kicking the air as hard as he could.

She ended up sitting in the middle of her shed. Kiseki no Yochi was a good weapon, but she needed a trump card. Unlike other ninja, her trump cards were different depending on the opponent. She had to know, vaguely, what she was going up against each time she set out and usually had enough time to find what she needed.

"One day," she sighed and banged her fists on the ground. "I need something good. What's Kankurou's weakness?"

She wracked her brain. "Those puppets. If I can get rid of them, then he'll be lost."

She stood and paced around the shed, stopping to tinker with a small gadget or peek at Mikomi under the tarp. She saw a smudge on her surface and quickly looked around for a rag and found it hiding on the top shelf. Kumiko reached up on her tiptoes and pulled the rags down, showering herself with dust. As she coughed and cursed she suddenly got an idea.

Kumiko grinned and threw the rag away, forgetting about the smudge, and ran out to find a ninja friend to lend her some of his or her chakra.


	27. Kumiko vs Kankurou, 1

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Kumiko vs. Kankurou (chap.1)

Early the next morning Kumiko found herself standing opposite Kankurou at the final test of the chuunin exams. Already Neji had fought a ninja she didn't know, winning all too easily, and Ino and Sakura sparred with Sakura as the victor. Now it was Kumiko's turn.

She had mulled over her upcoming battle in her head carefully the night before. They both had an advantage: Kankurou had more experience, knew his fighting style and its strength's and weaknesses, and most of all he was a true shinobi. But his disadvantage was that he knew almost nothing about Kumiko's way of fighting; only that she was smart and reckless. As far as he was concerned, _anything _could happen. Kumiko couldn't decide which advantage was greater, and finally concluded that only the battle would tell.

"Begin!" the examiner shouted and jumped off to the side.

The crowd cheered wildly. They were ready for this match of unusual combatants. On one side there was a powerful puppet master, something slightly rare and different in the shinobi world. On the other was a brown haired girl with no ninja talent and a fiery reputation that spread far beyond the village from which she came.

Kankurou smiled at her and bowed and she bowed back then stuck out her tongue, he smirked and summoned his first puppet, Karasu. It poofed onto the battle-field, wooden parts clanking and Kumiko eyed it warily. If she guessed correctly, then Kankurou was wrapped in the bandages and the boy standing before her was his second puppet, Kuroari.

Kumiko swung Kiseki no Yochi, making it open and a spear-head popped out. She twirled it and readied for attack. Her plan was very delicate, one that had just a single chance of working. If she failed, then she would have to make something else up quick and try her best to look competent while Kankurou beat her. The first part required Kankurou to believe her spear was simply a spear.

He wasn't making any moves, cautious. Naturally so because he had no idea what she was hiding. Also, he was no idiot, he suspected there was more to her spear or that she was hiding something. Kumiko decided to make the first move and ran at Karasu. Kankurou twitched his fingers and his puppet flew to the side and a knife appeared out from its head. Kumiko twisted out of harm's way as it flew for her and blocked the knife with her spear. Metal clanged on metal and she leant back, allowing the momentum carry the puppet over her head.

Kankurou whipped his arms to turn Karasu back around and Kumiko readied herself for the next attack. This time multiple kunai were shot at her and she blocked them all with the spear. As they whizzed past she noticed a purple substance dripping from each one and realized that it was poisoned. Though this was dangerous she couldn't afford to open her shielding umbrella; then Kankurou would become suspicious. She narrowly dodged one that came out after the others.

She wasn't attacking and Kankurou was growing wary. It was signaling that she was waiting for something. Kumiko knew what he was thinking and began the next step of her plan. She moved her left hand off the shaft of her spear and made it hover around her pocket. Kankurou saw this and watched her out of the corner of his eye. She balled her fist in her pocket and made to bring it out but Kankurou wouldn't let her and instead attacked again.

Once again her hands were occupied as Karasu itself came at her, its joints clanking and three beady eyes watching her. She swung around on her spear and kicked it so Kakurou had to yank it back around to meet her. Kumiko kicked it away again and quickly reached for her pocket and but Kankurou wasn't going to let her breathe and flung a smoke bomb at her. This was what she was waiting for and she ran at the oncoming bomb and dug her spear into the ground and leaned back.

Haha, this one is short...sorry


	28. Kumiko vs Kankurou, 2

Hello all! I just wanted to thank everyone who has read the Chronicles up to this point, and especially to crystalfeathers who has commented on almost every chapter along the way! I hope you continue to enjoy reading Kumiko's escapades as much as I enjoy to writing them!

Ciao!

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Kumiko vs. Kankurou (chap. 2)

The smoke bomb exploded and Kankurou was silent. There was no movement inside or beyond the bomb. He held his fingers ready to attack when his opponent emerged, coughing and sputtering. Unfortunately for him this did not happen, and instead Kumiko came soaring over the bomb. She was in the air and heading right toward him. His eyes opened wide as he frantically tried to pull Karasu in front of him but Kumiko was moving too fast. She pointed the spear-head straight at his stomach and came down on him full force and pierced through the skin.

The crowd gasped and was silent. Kankurou grunted and doubled over. Kumiko kept her grip tight. After a few moments Kankurou stopped panting and stood stock still. There was no blood. Then, just as Kumiko expected, the bandages on Kankurou's back quivered and were thrown away. Kakurou emerged, with a smirk on his face.

"Though you had me?" he said and threw off what was covering his puppet.

"This is Kuroari," he said. "He and Karasu together make a set. You're finished."

Kumiko yanked out her spear and hopped away. Kankurou was across from her, crouching, his hands across his chest and chakra strings glittering in the sunlight. Kumiko ran her hand along Kiseki no Yochi and found what she was looking for.

Kankurou's confidence was shattered when a mischievous look came upon his adversary's face. Then all of a sudden Kuroari exploded. The pieces flew in all directions and Kankurou fell over backwards.

_Now the hard part begins…_

"H…how?" he stuttered.

Kumiko smiled. "I studied you Kankurou. I knew all along that wasn't you standing in front of me. So, I feigned ignorance and waited for my chance. I made you believe this was only a spear and faked you out by trying to reach into my pocket. Throwing that smoke bomb was just what I was waiting for. I went right for you and got you good. Then I shot a little kunai with an explosive note into Kuroari while you were feigning defeat. I allowed the real you to emerge, and then I blew up your puppet!"

Kankurou was still on the ground, supporting himself with one hand behind him. He was very sneaky, but Kumiko knew exactly what he was doing. The pieces on the ground began to quiver slightly. Meanwhile, behind her own back Kumiko took out a small box that contained the chakra she borrowed from Shikamaru the day before.

"Now, without your little set, what are you going to do?"

She took out a piece of paper with a pre-drawn symbol and pressed the box onto it. Now it was a matter of who was quicker.

Kankurou smiled and Kuroari's pieces rose in the air.

"Kushiyose no jutsu!" Kumiko yelled and disappeared in a poof of smoke.

Once again Kankurou was confused. He brought his puppet back together and waited for what his reckless opponent was going to do next. A gust of wind blew and scared the smoke away. Kankurou found himself staring at two barrels the size of his head. Kumiko was kneeling on the ground holding two long tubes under each of her arms. Behind them was a large metal box from which each tube came out of. It was humming loudly. She smiled wickedly and jammed on a button with her left elbow.

Not knowing what was going to come out of the tubes Kankurou brought his puppets on front of him as a shield.

"NANI?!" he screamed as water and sand hit him.

Kumiko dug her feet into the dirt and allowed the sand and water to stream out. After she was sure Kankurou was covered she threw the two tubes away and grabbed a smaller third one that was coiled in the front.

Kankurou sputtered and wiped the water and sand from his eyes. Before he could move, though, something else was shot at him. It was slippery and smelled awful. Wait…he'd smelled that before… When he looked back at Kumiko he realized what it was.

"That's right…when I'm through they'll be nothing left of those puppets for you to fight with."

Kumiko took a kunai that was fastened with an explosive out from behind her. Kankurou panicked and yanked on his strings but his puppets just flopped awkwardly on the ground.

"Chikushou!" he spat and yanked on them again as they hopped and slipped on the oiled the ground.

"I can't hit a moving target as well as a still one, so I decided to make them a little immobile. If I were you…" she said and aimed. "I'd get the hell away from there."


	29. Kumiko vs Kankurou, 3

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Kumiko vs. Kankurou (chap.3)

She let the kunai go and Kankurou watched it for a second before detaching the chakra strings and diving out of the way. The note hit the ground in between the two wet and sandy puppets then exploded in a brilliant bang of fire. Burning pieces of wood streamed out of the center. The puppets set on fire then blackened into ash. Even Kankurou couldn't resurrect _that._

Kumiko didn't wait for the fire to simmer down and converted Kiseki no Yochi back into a spear. She ran around the wreckage and skidded to a halt when she didn't see Kankurou.

_Chikushou… _she thought_. I was hoping he'd be too surprised to do anything._

At this point she realized that the crowd was screaming wildly. The battle wasn't over but she couldn't help smiling a bit to herself. Kumiko thought she heard a familiar voice yelling out that she was a genius full of youth.

Now Kumiko had to be careful. As far as she knew, Kankurou didn't have any more tricks up his sleeve. She glanced at the burning embers to make sure nothing was moving. But something did move. A kunai came at her from behind the wreckage and she blocked it with her spear. Many more appeared.

_No they can't still be functional! _she screamed in her head and dodged the kunai.

She was so focused in front of her she didn't hear the footsteps until they were almost on top of her. But she spun around at the last second to dodge a thrust from Kankurou. The weapons slid against one another and the two shinobi jumped apart.

"Clever," Kankurou said as they circled each other. "All those kunai hidden in my puppets didn't burn so I thought I'd try to trick you into thinking they were still alive. Guess you caught me though."

Kumiko watched Kankurou's face. His purple makeup was running from the sweat, water, and oil she had thrown at him and his clothes were streaked with ash. She didn't look all too well herself.

"So, what happens now?" he asked.

Kumiko shrugged. "I kick your butt?"

Kankurou smirked and ran at her and she ducked his thrust and kicked out her leg, tripping him to the ground. She angled her elbow down toward his stomach but he grabbed it and flipped her over him to slide away on the ground. When she tried to stand up she found that one of her legs wouldn't do as she said. She looked at it confused then shocked when she saw a thin blue line of chakra connected to her knee.

"Bastard!" she yelled at Kankurou.

He pulled on it and she fell onto her face. He tried to attach another to her as she lay on the ground but she rolled away. Kankuro's finger twitched and her leg twisted, causing her to flip over onto her back. Kumiko groped for Kiseki no Yochi then wrapped her leg around it, catching the chakra string. She held it away from her as hard as she could and shakily stood up. Kankuro tried to unwind it but it wouldn't budge and then pulled on it. Kumiko wouldn't let him move her.

She kept twirling the spear around the string and Kankurou was slowly being dragged toward her. "You're crazy!" he yelled as the impossible was happening right before his eyes.

Before he got too close he severed the string and stumbled backwards. Kumiko wasted no time and ran at him with her spear in front. Kankurou dodged out of the way but Kumiko swung around and locked her legs around his waist and brought him down. They tumbled onto the ground in a cloud of dust.

There was silence in the stadium as the crowd strained to see the outcome of this last tumble. When it cleared the two shinobi were revealed. Kumiko was straddling Kankurou with the tip of Kiseki no Yochi pointed straight above his heart. Under her, Kankurou had a kunai poking at the back of her neck.

They both sat, panting. Neither of them wanted to make the next move. The stadium waited.

"This match is over!" the examiner shouted suddenly.

The crowd erupted into cheers, and some boos, and the two shinobi sat locked in their positions. Finally Kankurou dropped his weapon and Kumiko retracted her spear. They sat dumbfounded as the medics rushed out of the stadium doors towards them. People swam before her eyes. She had enough energy to roll off Kankurou before she collapsed next to him, who was already passed out.

...

The ceiling was white.

_Why do I always end up in a hospital bed? _

She tried to remember what had happened to get her in there. She turned and saw Kankurou lying in the bed next to her. He was breathing heavily and contentedly, with a smile on his face.

_Oh, that's right._

She sat up in the bed. Her muscles were a little sore but she wasn't seriously injured. On her bedside table was a note written in Lee's unmistakable handwriting, it read:

Kumiko-san!! You passed the exams! Everyone did; all our friends! I cannot believe it!! You fought so valiantly the elders couldn't help but be taken by you. You proved to them your worth. You will no longer be looked down upon, and neither shall I. Please, get well soon so we can begin our training for bigger things!!

Kumiko smiled at Lee's copious exclamation points. She was too much in shock to realize what exactly she had just accomplished. Right now she was still dressed in the clothes she fought in and they were disgusting. She swung her legs out of the bed and stood up, groaning at the muscle pain and stretched. Then she tiptoed to the bathroom, closed the door, and turned on the shower.

Half an hour later she emerged and saw Kankurou sitting up in his bed talking to his siblings.

"I'm telling you there's no one like her."

Kumiko smiled and Kankurou whipped his head in her direction and clamped his mouth shut.

"That was quite impressive," Temari said, hands on her hips. "My brother's no pushover."

Kumiko blushed a little and thanked her.

She walked back to her bed and sat on the edge. Kankurou had all but forgotten his siblings were there; he had eyes only for Kumiko.

Temari smiled slightly. "C'mon Gaara, let's leave them alone."

Gaara grunted and followed Temari to the door. "You really do remind me of someone," he mumbled before closing the door.

There was a small silence.

"How do you feel?" Kumiko asked Kankurou.

"I'm fine. You?"

She nodded.

Kankurou looked down at his lap. "I was afraid of hurting you at first, but in the end I was really trying my best. I really underestimated you Kumiko-chan, even though I witnessed your courage once before."

"Hn, well maybe you'll be convinced now!" she said playfully and collapsed back onto her bed.

Everything worked out just the way she wanted it to. Altogether, her Konoha friends and the siblings from the sand had taken a giant step forward. She could feel the excitement welling up in her heart and the white hospital walls made her fidgety.

"Man, I hate this place. What do you say we sneak out and go eat some sushi?"

She lifted the window and jumped down to the ground as Kankurou laughed and followed after.

woo! Next up: A Troubling History


	30. A Troubling History, 1

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: A Troubling History (chap.1)

Kumiko tightened her goggles and rolled up her sleeves. She bent down and positioned her finger over the dirty red button and bit her lip.

_Three, two, one…go!_

Lee turned when there was a loud crash from inside Kumiko's shed. He rushed out of the dojo and saw smoke coming from under the shed doors. He panicked and wrenched them open and was flooded by smoke and the smell of burning rubber. Kumiko stumbled out into the air covered in ash.

"Chicusou!" she said and started pacing around in the grass.

The village entered a period quietness after the exams were finished and allowed the newly made chuunins time to gather their strength and wits. Most took to light training every other day but Lee was obviously in the dojo and Kumiko was in her shed. Her newest task was trying to make Mikomi start with a button instead of the churning of the engine.

It wasn't going so well.

"Um…Kumiko-san?" Lee asked tentatively.

"Goddamn flying machine with its stupid engine and that crappy rusty crank!" she continued to mumble to herself until Lee shook her.

"Let's go eat lunch?"

She nodded.

In the restaurant people were giving her looks because she was covered in soot and grime from her workshop. But once they realized that it was her under all that dirt they either ignored it or waved hello.

Kumiko ordered a large cup of iced tea and poked at the rice balls Lee ordered for them. They both talked about how they couldn't wait to be sent on their first chuunin mission, and 

filled the restaurant with laughter. As Kumiko was ordering a second cup of tea Hatake Kakashi appeared beside Lee.

"Yo," he said and raised his hand.

"Hoy, Kakashi-sensei," they greeted.

He sighed and sat down at their table.

"Are you going to eat lunch with us?" Kumiko asked.

Kakashi scratched his head. "Actually, I've been sent here on a mission."

The two chuunin waited for him to continue.

"The Fifth called me in this morning. She said that Neji had reported something to her the day after the chuunin exams were over."

Kumiko took a sip of her tea and Lee stiffened in his seat.

"He said that something happened in the Forest of Death with you three. He wasn't sure how to explain it but he said something strange happened to Kumiko-chan while fighting off a forest monster. He looked very worried and suggested that the Fifth look into it as soon as possible."

Kumiko was confused. "If you're talking about the acid on my leg, I'm fine now. Sakura completely healed me. It wasn't easy but I got through it alright. Ninja have to face pain every day."

Kakashi shook his head and looked at Lee. "She told me to talk to the both of you at once because supposedly she doesn't remember."

Kumiko turned to Lee who was staring down at his plate.

"Kumiko-san I…I didn't tell you because I wanted to forget it. I wanted to forget that entire day. But I should have known it wouldn't be left alone. I'm sorry."

"All the information we received from Neji was that in the midst of the battle, when he and Lee were losing, Kumiko somehow changed and fought the monster off all by herself," Kakashi said.

_This is what Neji was trying to tell me back in the forest._

"Lee-kun, I know it's upsetting. But please tell me the details of that day. Kumiko-chan should know them too," Kakashi continued.

Kumiko was only paying attention to Lee. If it was something he couldn't talk about then it must have been bad. _What…did I do?_

Lee hesitated then glanced at Kumiko before opening his mouth. "Somewhere in the middle of our time in the forest, Kumiko stopped walking and said that she felt that something was following us. I didn't think much of this at first, but now that I look back on it, it was strange that neither Neji nor I had felt it. After she mentioned it I still could not feel it. Then that terrible thing came out of the forest. I was too busy watching it that I forgot that Kumiko could not escape as well as we could and she got caught on the ground. That thing went after her and wounded her arm. It was about to get her when I came to my senses and got her out of there. After that Neji and I attacked, but it started shooting out that liquid and we couldn't get close. Pretty soon it had us cornered. But before I had a chance to become afraid I heard a scream. I didn't know what it was because it sounded so alien. I looked up and barely recognized Kumiko bearing down on the monster…"

He paused.

"Tell us the rest," Kakashi prompted.

"It's hard to explain. She looked the same but didn't…feel…the same. She put her spear right through the monster's head. Granted it was sharpened but I almost broke my fist when I tried to punch the monster before, and that's never happened to me. She leapt onto it and started tearing at it with her fingernails. It was obviously about to die but she kept going and then…went at it with her teeth. Somehow she lost her footing and I ran to catch her. But I almost recoiled and dropped her when she touched me. I can't…her eyes were…"

Kakashi patiently waited for him to gather his thoughts.

"She struggled against me and tried to scratch me. Those weren't her eyes."

Lee refused to look at Kumiko when he finished and instead stared quietly down at his lap. Neither of the two male shinobi would look at her and she turned from one face to the other. Lee was very upset and confused but Kakashi was looking out the window deep in thought.

Kakashi sighed. "I guess this is a good time to tell you."


	31. A Troubling History, 2

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: A Troubling History (chap.2)

The two chuunin watched him intently.

"Your family has a strange history, Kumiko-chan. In fact it's so strange it has been kept a secret from the entire village. Even I hadn't heard of it until the Fifth called me into her office."

"Ano…Kakashi-sensei," Lee said. "Should I not be hearing this?"

"Actually, no. The Fifth wanted you to know as well. The two of you are close friends and someone Kumiko trusts needs to know the secret as well."

He nodded.

"A long time ago, there was a time when people were still experimenting greatly in the ninja world. Not everything was known about chakra and how it works, so many organizations came into being to discover the hidden secrets. But not all of them were good. Some came together to create more powerful beings, ones that would obey their every command and kill with relentlessness. Out of these unfortunate people, demons were born. The legacy of your family, Kumiko, was that of a demon whose name remains unknown. He was captured from his home and experimented on to become a cat demon. But one day he escaped, and while in limbo between cat and human he had a child with a woman from the Konoha village. Before the baby was born he had transformed fully and disappeared in the forest. Since then his blood has been passed down through the family. This demon is different than that of a Jinchuuriki. I'm afraid I don't know much about it because it is a rare thing these days, but it cannot be extracted by any means. Every child is born with the potential to show the demon's power, but those who are born with ninja powers can suppress it with their chakra. The others, such as you Kumiko, must 

be more careful. But as the years went by it took more and more to awaken the demon's blood, and it is believed that soon it will disappear completely. By now, those who did not become ninja did not have to fear it anymore, because their lives were safe and ordinary.

But you, Kumiko-chan, that time in the forest you sensed animal danger when no one else could. You saw your friends about to die and your demon blood began to boil. You broke through the barrier that diluted the blood from all those years. I'm afraid you have woken the demon within you."

……………………………………………

That night Kumiko told Lee that she was going to spend the night in her shed. He insisted on coming with her but she would not let him. He refused to leave her alone and finally settled to sleep in his dojo, so he' be near her if she needed him. In the middle of the night she climbed onto the dojo's roof and lay down.

She was at first angry at her parents for not telling her this secret, but then again they died before she was old enough to understand. If they hadn't died, then they probably would not have let her become a ninja. Would that have been better, or worse?

"_Do you like cats?" Kakashi asked her._

_She shrugged. "I don't mind them, but they don't seem to like me."_

"_They fear you, Kumiko-chan. All the cats can sense the tiny drop of blood in you and they sense the ancient cat demon inside."_

Kakashi had told her that not even the Fifth knew what to do about it and for now she would wait and see what happens next. The blood was running so thin that the Kobayashi family decided to keep theystory entirely to themselves; but now that Kumiko was the only one left, the secret had died. She found herself yearning to talk to someone else who had a similar problem. She didn't know Naruto like she knew Lee, but Lee couldn't give the advice that she needed. But Naruto was off with the famous Sannin, Jiraiya.

An alert presence drifted off and a snoring came from the inside of the dojo. Kumiko was happy that Lee could find sleep because he was almost as worried as she was. But there was another presence, too far away for her to sense, that was watching her. It sat looking out its window, through the village, past sleepers in their bedrooms, late night readers, and focused only on the one at the edge of town and the lonely figure that sat on a rooftop.

Kumiko closed her eyes and fell asleep.

OoooooooOOOOo... Next up: A Dangerous Spy


	32. A Dangerous Spy, 1

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: A Dangerous Spy (chap. 1)

The call came at 1:00 in the morning and Kumiko was not happy. Not because she was sleeping, but because she was working intensely on a gadget in her shed. She dragged her feet behind Shino who had come to escort her to the Hokage's office.

Once inside, the Fifth looked droopy eyed and a little pissed off. "Okay, here's your first mission as a chuunin," she said boredly. "I'm way too tired to explain it so just go with Shino and he'll do it."

_This sounds very familiar… _Kumiko thought.

The two chuunin exited the mansion and Kumiko eyed Shino's back warily. "This isn't another test, is it?"

He grunted as a reply.

"If it is I'll beat the crud out of you."

She heard a huff of breath, but whether it was in laughter or annoyance she couldn't tell.

They reached her shed before Shino spoke. "We suspect there's someone in Konoha who is spying on us. We don't know for sure who they are, or what they are looking for, but we have a suspect. Word of this came to the Hokage this night when I discovered a hideout hidden in the forest."

"Why were you snooping around the forest at night?"

He glared at her. "I like to take midnight walks. Anyway, no one was there, but I saw remnants of a candle as well as a few blankets hidden in the corner. Normally this would be seen as though a traveler had decided to take refuge but there's been reports that some of the medical supplies from the hospital have gone missing. There was also this…"

Shino held his palm up to reveal a tiny screw in his hand. Kumiko took it and examined it in the weak light from the crack in her shed door. "This is a screw for glasses."

_Spy, medical supplies, glasses…_

"You don't think it's…"

Shino nodded. "The mission is to confirm the spy, find him, and get him the hell out of the village. We are also to try out best to find out why he is here, but the top priority is to get him out. If it's who we think it is; he's too dangerous. You are the leader of this mission, and myself, Hinata and Kiba are at your disposal; we are the best tracking team. They are being summoned now and will arrive here shortly."

Kumiko opened her shed doors and walked inside, into the light, to look at the screw more closely, just to make sure. Shino followed her in and gazed around the messy shed in awe. Things unimaginable hung from the walls and cast twisted shadows on the floor. All manner of tools lay strewn about the ground and on her work bench. It smelled like metal and dust. Stepping inside Kumiko's shed was like stepping onto another planet.

She began to pace around the room, kicking up saw-dust and stepping on all that was lying on the floor, not noticing what was there. Every once and awhile Kumiko would stop and pick up a rusty object from the table and attempt to polish it with a rag, or tighten a screw. A few minutes later Hinata and Kiba poked their heads through the shed door and Shino motioned them to come inside and keep silent.

Kumiko crouched onto the floor and examined the screw again. She was a pretty good at problem solving but she never thought she would find herself up against one of the most infamous spies in the shinobi world. How was he disguised? Why does he need Konoha supplies?

_Kabuto…what in the world are you planning?_

She had a few ideas about the how but nothing about the why. First she would need to gather information. She stood up and faced her three teammates who were watching her intently.

"I've got a plan."

Kumiko arrived at the hospital when it opened at six in the morning with an envelope in her hand. Kiba was waiting for her at the entrance. Today, Kiba was going to compile an inventory of exactly what was missing from the hospital while Kumiko explored the inside.

Meanwhile, Hinata and Shino would go about their daily routines. The plan was for Kumiko and Kiba to gather information on the hospital workings and the people who worked there then give the names of suspicious people or anything else to the other two to investigate. After two or three days, Kumiko was supposing that the spy would have figured that she and Kiba were the ones on the mission. So, they would both pursue fake leads so the spy would be reassured that they were getting nowhere while the two unsuspected hidden ones would do the real business.

The entire operation relied on Kabuto (or whoever it was) to think he was still safe. Kumiko wasn't sure she could outwit him if he somehow caught on.

Before they entered Kumiko turned to Kiba. "While you're checking the supplies, and at all times in the hospital, I want you to be looking and sniffing or whatever for anything that seems suspicious. I don't care how weird or dumb it may seem but record everything you notice."

Kiba nodded.

Inside the hospital Kiba was escorted by a nurse to the supplies cabinets and Kumiko went to the waiting room on the first floor. No one was at the desk so Kumiko picked up the patient list and her eye settled on Kakashi, who was still weak from the meeting with Itachi a few weeks ago.

She quickly put it down before the nurse came back. "Hello, I'm here to visit Kakashi-sensei."

The nurse smiled and told her the room number.

She knocked on Kakashi's door, then entered.

"Hn? Oh, Kumiko-chan, did you come to visit me?" he asked, poking his eyes above his orange book.

She smiled. "Actually, I'm on a mission."

He wrinkled his brows. "Ah, that's too bad."

"Sorry but, do you mind if I use you as an excuse to come to the hospital for the next few days?"

There was another layer to her plan. Kiba would be out in the open, as someone investigating the stolen supplies, and Kumiko would semi-hide herself. She figured that the spy would be satisfied by finding her secretly investigating as well and wouldn't look too hard for anyone else, she hoped…

He nodded.

"You heard about what's going on?" she asked.

Kakashi nodded again. "The village has seen a lot of trouble these past few months," he said sadly. "I'm not too worried, though, because the Fifth put you on the job. I trust you."

Kumiko blushed and thanked him.

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye out too," he said.

So I've been having major writer's block and this part will come up slowly and hopefully by the time it ends the next chapter will be written! (O.O) Ciao!


	33. A Dangerous Spy, 2

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: A Dangerous Spy (chap. 2)

Half an hour later Kumiko left Kakashi's room and took a stroll around the hospital. She wandered to all the floors and hallways, sometimes taking a seat in the waiting rooms to watch the flow of visitors. Two hours had passed by the time she had once walked through the entire hospital.

"Excuse me," said a voice behind her. "Are you lost, Kobayashi-san?"

Kumiko turned around to see a male nurse carrying a clipboard standing behind her.

"Oh no, thank you. I was visiting a friend and decided to explore the hospital a little."

"How wonderful," he replied, and smiled. "And it's an honor to have the famous gadget-detective ninja in our hospital."

Kumiko kept her face blank. _What is this man thinking? Surely all of the nurses knew there was a spy somewhere amongst them. So why is he announcing me in the middle of the hallway?_

"How is your spying going these days? Having you wandering in this hospital almost makes me think that you're looking for something. I wonder who it is…"

Kumiko inhaled sharply. This man was the spy, Kabuto.

He smiled at her. "Well, I have to get going, I've got work to do you know. Hopefully I'll see you again in the future."

Kumiko watched him walk away down the hallway. She couldn't believe it, it had only been a few hours into the investigating and Kabuto had found her and confronted head-on_. _Her entire plan was ruined, and she needed a new one quick.

Frozen in hallway, Kumiko's mind began to churn. Right now she was sure he knew that she and Kiba were both on the mission. Also, unless he somehow saw the records from the Hokage, he didn't know that Hinata and Shino were also involved in the mission. Kumiko forced her legs to start moving, and she propelled herself down the rest of the hallway and into the waiting room where she sat. His next move, most likely, would be to find out who else was on the mission, but who would he follow? There was no evidence that the nurse she met was Kabuto, so Kumiko couldn't report to the Hokage. She needed to contact her other teammates.

_But why did he confront me like that?_

That one question rattled around in her brain. There must be some reason why he outed himself to her, but what…what?

_Oh no, he's going to catch me trying to contact my other teammates._

His plan was clear as day. Kabuto confronted her as a challenge to see who was the better spy, who would be caught first. He wanted her to know who he was, so that if he won in the end she would know that it was on level ground. Though the contest was dangerous, she couldn't help but become excited.

Kumiko left the hospital and met up with Kiba for lunch. He handed her the list of the missing items and she scanned it. There was no pattern she could discern and decided that this could wait, there was a more pressing problem.

As they ordered lunch she spewed nonsense about suspicious looking people and cracks on the ceiling. Halfway through the lunch Akamaru jumped onto her lap and she scratched his head.

"Ugh Akamaru, I think you've got fleas."

Kiba paused for a brief second, holding his cup t his lips, then took a sip. "I'll check it out tonight."

Later that night Kiba crawled under the covers of his bed and yawed. The day had been long with too much small print on bottles and list after list of medical supplies. He rubbed his temples and rolled over onto his side and curled up into a ball. He wiggled his feet in a restless sleep and moved his head around to conceal his hand that had brought out a small bottle from under his pillow. As smoothly as possible he unscrewed the cap and dipped his finger into a clear substance and drew a line on the bed between the sheets and the comforter. Then he turned over one last time and lay still.

As the night grew on, one tiny black bug, hiding in a crack on the window-sill, smelled something sweet wafting out of Kiba's room and flew off into the night. It arrived at another house and scurried through the crack under the door, up the stairs and into Shino's bedroom. When it tickled Shino's finger, he understood the message that was sent to him: _Things have gotten complicated._

Meanwhile, in an apartment a few minutes away, Kumiko was sitting at her desk with her reading lamp on, looking through the hospital records. She stopped when she came to the man that spoke to her earlier and saw his name was Kiyoshi. She studied his information and found that he had been working in the hospital for two years as a nurse. Nothing interesting about him.

She closed the book and sat back in her chair. Her eyes scanned the room. She knew that Kabuto was watching her somewhere nearby. She cursed herself for not carrying the stuff Kiba uses to contact Shino with her as well, but there was nothing she could do about it. Even if they somehow exchanged the little bottle, Kabuto would definitely think it was suspicious. By now, Shino should have gotten the emergency message.

Now, Kumiko had to let them know who the suspect was. She ruled out telling Kiba because it seemed too risky. Kabuto was watching them both closely, and if she played charades with Kiba, then Kabuto would definitely figure it out as well. She had to contact Hinata or Shino.

As she was about to fall asleep Kumiko realized a plan that was bold and full of many risks, but a plan nevertheless.


	34. A Dangerous Spy, 3

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: A Dangerous Spy (chap. 3)

She arrived at the hospital again at six o'clock. She marched inside and started patrolling the hallways. Ten minutes later she came upon Kiyoshi.

"Hello again, Kobayashi-san. I'm so glad to see you again."

"I'm not glad to see you, Kabuto."

The man's eye twitched very slightly and his smile grew wider. "Why, I have no idea what you're talking about."

Kumiko smiled back but didn't answer. Seconds ticked by slowly on the clock until the man cleared his throat. "Well, I've got work to do, though this accusation that you have made makes me very troubled."

He turned to walk away but Kumiko followed after him. He pretended to ignore her and kept walking, but Kumiko continued to follow.

"It makes me very uneasy to have you treading on my heels like that."

"That's too bad."

The man's eyes glinted angrily and his lips pulled apart in a crooked grin. "If you don't leave I'm going to have to call someone to throw you out."

Kumiko shrugged. "Go ahead. But I'm on an important mission and you're just a nurse. You can't do anything, Kabuto."

His nostrils flared and his grin disappeared. "I'm sure I don't know why you are calling me Kabuto. But it is making me very angry."

The man in front of her was definitely Kabuto. She could tell he was confused and extremely angry at her boldness. Kumiko fought back the rising fear in the pit of her stomach. She placed the entire plan in the hands of her fellow teammates. By now, Shino should have told Hinata about the message the previous night, and the two of them should be on extreme alert for any subtle hints coming from their other two teammates. Kumiko was hoping that Hinata would use her Byakugan to look into the hospital and find Kumiko trotting on this nurse's heels and calling him Kabuto to his face. She would know instantly.

She followed him closely for the rest of the day. She asked questions and commented about anything at all in order to use the name 'Kabuto' as much as she could. He kept his composure well for the first half of the day, but as the sun started its descent through the sky he became more and more agitated.

All too soon, the hospital was readying to close down. Kabuto walked to the employee check-in and took his card out of the slot. He stopped, facing the doorway, as Kumiko stood behind him. The lobby was still full of visitors and nurses and he spoke so quietly that Kumiko had to edge closer to hear.

"Well, that was an interesting day, spending so much time with you. But I can't say that we'll get a chance to do it again. I don't think I enjoyed it. I suggest you stay in crowded areas tonight for as long as possible, but I guess it doesn't matter..."

Kumiko fought to keep her legs from trembling.

"Because at some point, all the shops will be closed, and all the lights will be out. No matter where you go, sometime tonight you will find yourself all alone. And I have a feeling that someone will be waiting for you there. "

He turned the collar of his jacket up around his neck, stepped out into the glare of the setting sunset, and left Kumiko standing in the middle of the hospital lobby. Kabuto no longer cared about finding the rest of her teammates; all he wanted now was to kill her. Kumiko knew that her plan would send Kabuto over the edge, but it was the only way to make him appear, even if it meant offering herself up as bait. She found that her legs were wobbling so she hobbled over to one of the chairs in the lobby and sat down. Her head was spinning. She looked to the ground and prayed that Hinata had seen her.

Kumiko wandered the streets of Konoha. Shops began to close, one by one, as the people dwindled two by two. Soon the streets were almost empty and Kumiko entered the shops, but they began to close as well. She ended up in Ichiraku Ramen at 8:00 and ordered a bowl. The customers came and went and by 9:00 there were only a few left. The night was still very young and Kumiko was running out of places to go.

Soon, only she and the chef were left in the shop. She thought about staying, or running over to Lee's house, but Kabuto was too strong and would most likely kill whomever she was with. So she paid the chef and slowly gathered her pack and strapped it to her shoulders. She shivered as the night air hit her face and the hairs on the back of her neck prickled.

The street was dark and empty, and she began to walk.

Kumiko was halfway to the Hokage mansion when a voice spoke behind her. "Well, well, what do we have here?"


	35. A Dangerous Spy, 4

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: A Dangerous Spy (chap. 4)

She turned to face a figure outlined in the darkness, leaning against the side of a building. He shifted and a light flashed in her eyes as the moonlight caught his glasses.

"Hello Kabuto, fancy meeting you here," she said with a slight stutter.

"You seem pretty confident for someone whose about to die."

She didn't answer.

"You also have guts for coming out in my face at the hospital today. I might have let you slip by if you didn't anger me too much. And to think, that you are the famous detective ninja. You seem more like a cocky brat to me."

Kumiko's eyes darted to her left and right, looking for any sign of Hinata or anything else that may be hiding in the shadows.

"Oh, might you be looking for this?"

He kicked out at what Kumiko thought was a trash bag and she heard a grunt. Kabuto reached down and picked up a bundle and threw it ahead of him. She looked down to see Kiba tied up with rope and gag in his mouth. He struggled against the bonds but they wouldn't break.

"You know, he was far too easy to capture," Kabuto said. "So I thought: there _has _to be something more to it. After all, Konoha is one of the greatest shinobi villages."

Another lump was thrown at Kumiko's feet and her blood ran cold when she saw Hinata, bound in the same way as Kiba.

"Don't think I don't know anything about Konoha," Kabuto sneered. "I know you work in three- man cells. Did you seriously think I was that stupid? I also know about your famous Hyuuga bloodline limit, so when I saw this one snooping around in the streets with a ninja headband I knew she had to be your other teammate."

In a flash he was standing behind Kumiko, and before she had a chance to draw a weapon his hand had her around the waist and a kunai was poised above her neck.

"You underestimated my intelligence. And it seems I overestimated yours. You want to know the real reason why I came to this village?"

Kumiko was terrified but she didn't say a word. Kabuto knew nothing about the fourth member, Shino. She was placing all her hope in him that he would find them. She had to keep stalling Kabuto, to give Shino time.

"I didn't come here for the medicine. You probably saw no pattern in what I was stealing, and that's because there wasn't. I came for another reason, do you know why?"

Kumiko shook her head no.

"I came here because of you. I heard about you; how you were supposed to be famous for solving any problem. It's been boring down at Orochimaru's lair, so I decided to come and have a little fun. But unfortunately, you weren't as interesting as I had hoped," Kabuto said, then started to laugh.

Kumiko was horror-struck. She knew that talented ninja were sometimes targeted by other ninja, but she never expected that she would be one of them. She had just recently become a ninja; was she really that famous? She was proud that she was considered amazing at solving problems, but she was still developing that skill. Why did the most dangerous spy have to target her so early? She started to get angry.

Kabuto had stopped laughing. "What are you thinking about?"

Kumiko blood began to boil, as her infamous temper flared up over her fear.

"Oh nothing, just how cowardly you are. I thought you were supposed to be a great ninja. Are you in so much need to prove your skills that you have to target chuunin girls?"

Kabuto's grip on her waist tightened. "I don't think you're in any position to talk that way."

She snorted. "You make me sick. You were just afraid that I'd become too good for you, so you decided to take me out now so as not to ruin your ego when i become better than you."

The kunai at her throat pricked her skin as her head was pulled back and a drop of blood fell onto the hand that was around her waist. Below her, Kiba started to squirm.

"There are worse things than death," he hissed in her ear. "And unfortunately for you I know how to implement all of them. When I'm finished with you you're going to beg me to plunge this kunai right into your heart."


	36. A Dangerous Spy, 5

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: A Dangerous Spy (chap. 5)

"Kabuto, this is the end of the line!"

Kabuto whipped his head in the direction of the voice. Standing on top of the nearest building was the Fifth, legs splayed and arms crossed, with a frown on her face.

"Ah, Tsunade-sama, how nice to see you again."

"Let her go."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," he said and held Kumiko tightly.

Tsunade continued to stare down at him when a shuriken came flying out of the bushes and whipped the kunai out of his hand. After it came a growl and an angry Lee with fire in his eyes.

"I'll kill you," he snarled.

Kabuto was un-phased.

"Impressive, but you forget that I am still holding her. I could easily break her neck."

"And I could just as easily break yours," Neji said as he appeared behind Kabuto.

Ninja began stepping out of the darkness. Crouching on rooftops, leaning against walls, and creating a circle around Kabuto in the middle. Kumiko recognized Shikamaru and Sakura, as well as Gai and a slightly tired looking Kakashi.

Kabuto raised one of his hands in the air "Well, I guess that's it for me. Looks like I was fooled after all."

He took a step backward, tugging Kumiko along with him. "You're a lucky brat, you know?" he said in Kumiko's ear.

"They say luck is part of a ninja's talent," she replied.

"Don't think this is over," he said before shoving her roughly to the ground and disappearing in a poof of smoke.

Lee was bawling crocodile tears at Kumiko back in her apartment. She was exhausted and fell onto her bed the moment they stepped through the door. The Fifth ordered that Lee and Neji keep watch in her room for the next few nights to make sure that Kabuto would not come back for her.

She couldn't fall asleep, so Lee made her tell the entire story.

"Sounds like something a fool would do," Neji replied cooly from her desk chair.

Kumiko was too tired to argue with him.

It turns out that Hinata had seen her at the hospital around the end of the day and contacted Shino. He was sent to inform the Hokage that there was a suspect and Hinata was going to follow to see if there were any clues. Shino was waiting in the Hokage's office that night for Hinata to return, but when she didn't he figured that she had been caught.

They prepared for the worst and rounded up all the ninja, chuunin level and above, and spread out along the entire village looking for her. Neji found them right away, just as Kabuto was telling Kumiko why he came to the village.

"But it worked," Lee said to Neji.

A few minutes passed by before the silence was broken by Lee's voice. "Kumiko-san, we've been talking and…that's two dangerous S-ranked ninja that you've fought."

Kumiko nodded. "Yeah, imagine that. I'm only a chuunin and I've gotten more action than some who've been chuunin for years."

"Ano…what I meant to say is…"

"That time when I saved you from Itachi," Neji cut in. "You were too much in your own world to notice the intense hate in his eyes when he looked at you as he disappeared. And tonight, we both heard what Kabuto said; _Don't think this is over. _He was behind you so you couldn't see his face, but he wanted to kill you so much it almost overcame his senses."

"Kumiko-san, you have to be careful!" Lee shouted. "You were lucky the last few times, and what happens when the third comes along and there's no one there? Two of the most dangerous shinobi hold a grudge against you, and I don't think they'll forget it."

Kumiko stared up at the ceiling.

"You don't think I know that?" she said silencing Lee's sobs. "When Itachi was at the border, I went after him thinking he was just a simple thief trying to get into the village. How was I to know it was the man who killed his entire clan? Believe me, if I had any idea it was him, I wouldn't have gone."

Kumiko's head was facing the window so her two friends couldn't see that her eyes were turning red.

"And just now, before you all got here, Kabuto told me why he came to Konoha. I haven't told the Hokage yet, but it wasn't because he was looking for medicine. You want to know why here was here?"

Her words caught in her throat and she tried to hold back, but couldn't, and a sharp intake of breath revealed her.

"A-are you crying?" Lee asked in a hoarse voice and tried to touch her face but she shoved him away.

"He said he came here for _me_. He heard rumors about my problem solving skills and he wanted to test his skill against mine. He was targeting me! I didn't go looking for him, he came looking for _me_! He heard about me, all the way from Orochimaru's lair. And like hell I wanted him try and kill me!"

She was angry, frightened, and sad all at the same time. But most of all she was ashamed to be on the verge of tears in front of her friends.

She felt someone sit on her bed to her left and place a hand on her back. Then someone else sat on her right. Her face was buried in her pillow but she wouldn't cry. She felt safe with both of them by her side, and she was eventually able to fall asleep.

Next up: Hold Your Breath


	37. Hold Your Breath, 1

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Hold Your Breath (chap.1)

Kumiko tripped and fell a number of times as she ran back to her shed from the middle of town. She was eating rice balls and green tea for lunch when Shikamaru burst through the restaurant entrance and grabbed the edge of the table. After a few seconds of catching his breath, without saying a word he grabbed her arm and yanked her from the table and pulled her along the streets of Konoha.

"A runner collapsed at the village entrance this morning," he shouted back at her. "We brought him to the Hokage and found he was from the Village of Rain; he had been running for three days. A group has kidnapped forty villagers and taken them to a hideout somewhere in the surrounding area. They demanded that the elder of the village step down or they'd kill all the hostages. But the elder is stubborn and refused. The resistance plans to kill them within two and a half days. Team Gai has been dispatched and they're running there now."

They rounded the corner and came skidding to a halt as they reached the door to her shed.

"Get your flying machine. We're going NOW!"

Immediately Kumiko wrenched her arm away and flung open the shed doors. She barked orders at Shikamaru to ready the machine while she hastily packed her bag and threw some things into the storage area in Mikomi. Shikamaru was struggling to unhook the tarp and Kumiko ripped it off and threw it away onto the work bench.

"Push!"

The two chuunin huffed their way out of the shed, along the path, and up the Hokage Mountain. They reached the summit by sunset. Kumiko strapped her goggles onto her face and helped Shikamaru squeeze into the back part of the cockpit. Then she ran to the sides and let the wings out, and around to the front to crank the propeller furiously until it caught. The plane started to inch forward and she leapt into the cockpit in front of Shikamaru and grabbed onto the levers.

"Hold onto my waist," she instructed, and Shika immediately obeyed. "I haven't given her a test run since she fell at the Sand but I'm pretty sure she's okay."

"NANI?" Shikamaru croaked.

"We should be fine. But whatever you do, don't let go!"

The plane gathered up speed and leapt off the side of the mountain. It nosedived and Kumiko pulled back on the altitude lever with all her strength and Mikomi caught the up draft and bounced harshly into a steady glide.

Shikamaru was squeezing the life out of Kumiko so she poked at his fingers until he relaxed his grip.

"Okay, the hard part's over," she said, taking a breath. "We should get there by sunrise tomorrow. I'll land somewhere out of sight of the town so as not to reveal ourselves. From there we'll have two days to find the hideout and free the villagers. "

Shikamaru was silent.

"Oi baka, you listening?"

"Hnn…so peaceful," he said, not hearing her.

……………………………………………

The night fell coolly on the two shinobi. Kumiko was wearing her flying jacket but behind her Shikamaru was shivering (they had run off so suddenly after all) and she could feel his slight tremors on her stomach where he was holding onto her.

"Open the hatch behind you I think I have an extra blanket."

One of his hands released her and a few seconds later he wrapped the blanket around both of them.

"Ahh…that's better," he said and yawned.

Konoha was far behind them and no lights shone in the forest below. The trees were too high to allow light from a campfire through, and if you were smart you wouldn't have one lit anyway so deep on the forest.

"Shika, why were you put on this mission?"

He grunted. "Don't think you're the only smart one here. They called for me all panicked and told me to figure something out. I suggested we use you and your flying machine."

Kumiko smiled. "Thanks."

"Ne? Well, it was the most practical thing. No one could get there faster than you!" he replied, flustered.

A few minutes later Shikamaru had fallen asleep on Kumiko's back. She rubbed her eyes and took out a cold flask of green tea.

……………………………………

The Hidden Rain Village came into view over the horizon at sunrise. Kumiko quickly veered to the right and flew until it was out of sight before looking for a safe landing. Soon she spotted a small lake ahead and aimed toward it.

"Hold on!"

Mikomi started falling toward the ground, and just as she was about to hit the water Kumiko yanked her up so the back wheels skimmed the surface. They started to sink under, but then connected to the banks and Kumiko jammed on the breaks. The bank was small and the first line of trees into the forest was coming up fast.

"Watch it!" Shikamaru screamed unhelpfully.

Kumiko yanked on a lever and they swerved to the right, missing a large oak by a few inches. They continued to ride around the lake in a bumpy circle until they came to a halt. The dirt on the bank was flown everywhere half-way around the lake, making two dark grooves where the wheels ripped it to pieces.

Shikmamaru sighed. "Troublesome… "

They tumbled out of Mikomi and began to push and pull her toward the forest and under cover of the trees. It was impossible to hide her there but hopefully no one would be snooping around those parts anyway.

Once Mikomi was out of sight Kumiko turned toward the lake. The side they landed on was shallow and sandy. If she squinted she could make out the other, much deeper, side, full of jagged rocks. "YOSH! Let's go! We need a direction, we need a plan…"

She staggered then fell backwards and landed on her backside.

"Whoa take it easy," Shikamaru said, stepping out from the trees. "You need to rest first."

Kumiko protested and tried to stand but Shika nudged her back down. "You won't be any help if you're tired. Rest, and don't worry about a plan. Did you think I was sleeping that whole time on the flight?"

"Um…yes?" she replied.

Shikamaru sighed, mumbled, and walked to the edge of the lake. "Team Gai should be here by sundown. It's our job to find the entrance to this hideout and come up with a strategy to get in and out by the time they arrive."

Kumiko nodded, trying vainly to keep her eyes from drooping. "I'm sorry."

Shikamaru scrunched his face into an annoyed frown. "Ch, don' t apologize. I knew you were going to be tired after the flight and I worked it into our schedule. You really need to rest. I figured that I'd find the entrance myself while you rest and once you wake up we'll both come up with a plan, after all, you're the one with the equipment. So stand up, get in that cockpit, and sleep."


	38. Hold Your Breath, 2

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Hold Your Breath (chap.2)

She woke up to someone shaking her shoulders. It was a little past noon and Shikamaru's head blocked the bright halo of the sun. Kumiko sat up, a little dazed. "Did you find it?"

"I did, but you're not going to like it."

Shikamaru led her around the edge of the lake. On the other side he looked around then turned and walked straight into the forest. He stopped in front of a large boulder. "Under here. Apparently we almost landed right on it."

Kumiko stared up at the boulder. _How convenient. _But not even Lee could lift that thing.

"How do we get inside?"

Shikamaru snorted. "I don't know, that's what we have to figure out…how troublesome."

Kumiko thought for a moment that maybe she could blow it up, but then again it probably had an alarm or something worse attached to it. Besides, the whole place would be notified of their entrance and they'd never be able to save the villagers.

"I found it pretty quickly."

Kumiko turned to see Shikamaru leaning against the boulder. "So I had some time to look it over carefully. The ground feels different when there's a large space under it, such as a hideout. So I paced around this boulder. Within a five foot radius I can feel the difference in density, so I walked farther out into the forest and it stops abruptly just another five feet away. But back toward the lake it keeps going, going…" he left the side of the rock and walked back toward the lake, with Kumiko on his tail. "…and it's still there, right here on the edge of the lake. Now, trying to dig an underground hideout that connects directly to the lake it just plain stupid. The whole thing could become water-logged or simply collapse at any moment. So…" he crouched down then leapt out onto the nearest rock that jutted out from the lake. It was a little too far for Kumiko so he reached out his hand and caught her, then pulled her onto the top and held on. "…I figured it couldn't be man-made."

Shikamaru pointed into the clear water and Kumiko followed his index finger. Hiding beneath the water, between boulders, fish, and rock formations, was a small hole at the very bottom of the lake.

"It's a cave."

The two shinobi stared down into the water. "I'd say it's about 30 feet down."

Shikamaru trained his eyes on Kumiko's face. She couldn't see him, nor anything else anymore. Just the lake and the cave. He held onto her waist and leapt back to the banks and set her down and she immediately began to pace back and forth. He smiled a bit, remembering this exact same look during the time at Waterfall.

Suddenly she turned and started marching back toward the side of the lake where they had hidden Mikomi, and Shikamaru followed. It felt strange to him, not to be the one figuring out a plan, but this was Kumiko's territory. They had stepped into something he didn't know much about. Only she knew what was hidden in the depths of her amazing flying machine, and more importantly how to use them.

She thrashed through the bushes and leapt into the cockpit and started to rummage through the storage hole in the back. Random objects flew every which way and Shikamaru had to duck a few times to avoid dangerous things with sharp edges. Kumiko surfaced a few minutes later with two wrenches and tossed one to Shikamaru. He caught it and followed her to the front of the flying machine.

"Help me get this propeller off."

Shikamaru didn't say a word as the propeller came off and other parts of the plane were disassembled. He couldn't imagine what Kumiko must be feeling, taking apart her most beloved invention that she had just put back together. But he caught a glimpse of her face, which said that the mission always comes first.

A few minutes later various parts were lined up in the sand by the edge of the lake. Kumiko was circling around them and staring at each one in turn. Shikamaru waited until she plopped down and started to tinker with the objects, then stood next to her in case she needed anything. It would be, he thought, a very long afternoon.


	39. Hold Your Breath, 3

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Hold Your Breath (chap.3)

"Are you sure about this?" Shimakaru said, standing uncertainly on the banks with his hands in his pockets.

Kumiko snapped her goggles onto her head and turned back to him. "No, but there's only one way to find out."

Kumiko was standing with the bottoms of her pants rolled up in the shallow waters of the bank. Half-floating in front of her was a large square-ish metal object with the propeller sticking out the front. Kumiko took off her flying jacket and threw it at Shikamaru who caught it and watched, uncertainty, as she waded deeper into the lake.

Kumiko grabbed the handles on each side of the awkward looking motor and located the string hanging from the front.

"It doesn't matter how long you can hold your breath if you're under for a short amount of time," she said.

"Ugh…what a drag," Shikamaru said.

Kumiko grinned and yanked on the string a few time and the propeller sputtered and started to spin. It lurched forward and Kumiko dug her feet into the mud to keep from shooting forward. "YOSH! It works!" she yelled.

She held back for a few seconds then let her feet go and the propeller yanked her forward , face-first, into the lake water.

Kumiko went under. Her goggles kept the water out of her eyes and she opened them as she shot forward toward the deep end of the lake. The motor was fast, and she met the other side in no time. The rocks were approaching her fast and she kicked her feet and tried to angle to the right. She pulled with all her strength and managed to make the propeller turn and shoot by the first big rock.

_Success! _

For the next twenty minutes Kumiko learned to drive the motor, coming up for air every half-minute. Sometimes she came straight out of the water and flew in the air a few feet before crashing back down. Shikamaru watched by the edge in awe, who knew?

Finally, Kumiko surfaced and landed on the banks and wrestled the motor onto the shore. She sat down, wet and cold.

Shikamaru opened his mouth to say something but his headset crackled. "They're here," he informed Kumiko.

………………………………………………….

Shikamaru began to explain the situation to the newly arrived shinobi as Kumiko changed into dry clothes. When she returned, Lee handed her a cup of ramen noodles and she settled down in front of the small fire.

"…figured the boulder was full of traps so we needed another way in. This is just a guess, but I think that the rebel group tried to get in through that cave as well but failed. That's why they dug a hole and made that boulder. I'm also guessing that the cave entrance is not heavily guarded because if they couldn't get in, then who else could?"

"Then how do _we_ get in?" Lee asked, cutting Shikamaru off.

He smiled. "Oh, we can get in."

Kumiko smiled into her noodles.

"Anyway, here's the plan: Tonight, when it's still dark we're going to enter the cave. The first group will be Kumiko and Neji. Neji will use his byakugan to get a feel for the place and Kumiko will report back to us. Since they're only two people, they can move through the hideout more easily, and their combined skills are the best for stealth. Once they find the prisoners and a clear path through they will radio the rest of us. Myself and Lee will come through next, and Gai and Tenten will remain outside and wait for out signal."

The shinobi nodded and finished their dinner. After that, team Gai took an hour of rest before they would begin.

Soon they were lined up by the edge of the lake. Gai was swooning and crying tears of joy at the brilliant plan of the daughter he never had (aka. Kumiko) and how fast his little students were growing into great shinobi. Kumiko stood in the edge of the water, shivering in the wet clothes she had changed back into. Neji was behind her, looking not at all certain about the situation, dressed in his shinobi pants and black netted shirt.

"The last time we went with one of your inventions we ended up in a compromising position,"

"Oh, quit your whining," she said as she rolled up the bottom of her pants, and grabbed onto the motor. "Okay, I don't know how much of that cave is underwater on the other side, so…it's very dangerous"

Neji nodded.

Behind them Lee was holding onto a length of rope tied to a tree trunk at one end and the motor on the other. Once Kumiko and Neji got to the other side he would haul the motor back to them so they could use it next.

"Hold onto me."

Neji grunted. "You're plan is brilliant and all, but what about the headset? It won't work if it gets wet."

Kumiko took the headset out of her pocket and looked at it, then stuffed it into her mouth. "Mno rooblem," she mumbled and Neji scrunched his face into a frown.

"Baka…"

Kumiko put on her goggles and reached for the string to start the motor. In spite of himself Neji gripped onto her tightly, having no idea what insane thing was about to occur.

"Mone, Moo, Freeeeeaahhhh!!" she yelled as they lurched forward.

Water shoved itself up Neji's nose and he started to gag as they went underwater. Kumiko brought the motor back up so they skimmed the surface and allowed him to catch his breath. Then they dived under.

Neji's eyes were closed to ward off the water rushing into his eyes and Kumiko was focused on the small opening below her. She had only one chance to get inside or they'd be smashed on the rocks by the side of the lake. The entrance loomed ahead and she whizzed through, scraping her shoulder on the rocks to her right.

Her headlamp shone ahead only a few feet in the dark waters. Suddenly he cave wall came into view and Kumiko gasped bubbles out of her nose and yanked on the motor and turned to the left and up. Expecting to exit into the cave, she panicked when there was nothing but rock and swerved forward as Neji smacked his feet on the top. She was beginning to feel light headed.

They barreled blindly onward for what seemed like forever and Kumiko was starting to panic. Her heart beat faster, using up the oxygen from her breath quicker than normal. The floor of the cave began to curve upward and Kumiko followed it. She could feel it nearing the surface but it was angling too slowly. She tried to calm the rushing blood and followed upward, and suddenly they breached the surface.


	40. Hold Your Breath, 4

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Hold Your Breath (chap.4)

Kumiko stopped the motor and coughed and sputtered into the cave followed by Neji who was wiping the water out of his eyes. She hacked out the headset and fell onto the ground. .

While Kumiko was catching her breath Neji checked the area for anyone lurking nearby and found no one. He then picked up the headset and radioed Lee. He found a passageway and stood before it, waiting for Kumiko as she pulled out a long strip of neon orange paper, then stuck a strip at the entrance of the passageway. She turned off her headlamp and groped for Neji's shirt and hung onto it, and then they began to walk forward. She kept her hand on the wall and placed markers whenever they turned a corner leaving a trail for Shikamaru and Lee to follow when they arrived.

"Found them," Neji whispered.

Up ahead there was a faint yellow glow. "There's a large cavern with twenty shinobi and the villagers huddled in the corner. It's fully lit. If we continue forward we'll come out of an opening a few feet up from the ground. There are two shinobi stationed by this entrance but the real guard is to the other side under the boulder and in front of the villagers."

The wheels were turning in her head. Kumiko fumbled for the headset and radioed Lee, telling him to make their way into the cave. They were to follow the markers until they reached the 14th one then stop and turn off their headlamp and Neji would come and get them. They were also not to use the headset once inside the cavern. After that they both sat down on the floor and were silent.

_Chicushou… _

She couldn't come up with a plan. Time was almost up and they had gotten so far, she refused to fail when the goal was so near. In times like these her normal strategy would be to rush into the cave and raise hell, but there were too many lives on the line. The shinobi in the cave would most likely start killing off the hostages one by one until they backed off. She would never sacrifice a civilian life.

Neji stood up and began walking back down the passage the way they came, then reemerged with Shikamaru and Lee behind him.

"I brought your pack," Lee said, and handed it to her.

She took it and rummaged through the contents, hoping to find something useful there. Kiseki no Yochi could blow the place to smithereens, but the umbrella wasn't big enough to cover all the hostages.

_Chicushou…_

There was an extra pair of flying goggles as well as random nuts and bolts and a small wrench and length of rope, scrap metal, and…

"I brought these," Shikamaru held out his hand to show a couple of smoke bombs. "I thought we might need them."

……………………………………………………..

Ten minutes later Kumiko was securely tied around the waist with the rope and a crude grappling hook made out of the scrap metal in her bag. The four shinobi had creeped to the edge of the passageway and peeked out and down upon the cavern. Directly below them were two ninja by either side of the opening, looking outward. A little to their left were the hostages with three shinobi as guards, and the rest were congregated around the main entrance, whispering and looking at papers spread out over the ground. Lee peeked over the edge with the grappling hook in hand then looked back at the group. They nodded.

He reared back and threw the grappling hook with all his might toward the top of the cavern. It sunk into the ceiling with a clang and a thump. The shinobi below the entrance heard it and stared up at the ceiling, confused. They whispered to each other and one of them left to inform the main group on the other side of the cavern. Kumiko took this chance and she leapt silently out of the hole swinging out into darkness and climbed hand over hand up toward the ceiling. When she reached the top she hung upside down.

The shinobi in the cavern didn't seem too concerned by their comrade's distress so he walked back to his partner and continued the watch. As she was fumbling in her pockets for the smoke bombs the ceiling with the boulder shook and a man came through. Kumiko strained to hear what they were saying.

"…Elder has…time's up."

Without a second thought Kumiko hurled the smoke bombs every which way down into the cavern and listened as it erupted into shouts of anger and confusion.

…………………………………………………..

The moment the bombs erupted the three shinobi, hiding in the passageway leapt into the room. Neji went straight for the hostages dragging a blinded Shikamaru behind him while Lee took care of the shinobi on guard. It had to be quick so they wouldn't make any noise.

Shikamaru quieted the villagers while Neji searched through the haze for Kumiko, who was latched onto the ceiling.

"Pssht…watch out…psssht…" Kumiko headset crackled.

The commotion below was suddenly drowned out by a much louder crash and a cascade of rocks that fell into the middle of the room. Kumiko's ears were ringing and she swung in great arcs from the ceiling because she had lost her grip. Gai's head poked through the top as Tenten flung down many wires that hung down over the rock pile.

Neji quickly climbed through the opening at the top with a small child under his arm and Shikamaru busied himself helping the villagers to tie themselves to the wires. Two by two the villagers were hoisted up through the ceiling.

Neji leapt back into the cave to help Lee fend off the enraged shinobi (they now knew what was going on) and the others pulled out the villagers. After the last one was safely out in the open Lee and Neji ran toward the rock pile and grabbed ahold of a wire.

Kumiko watched them both climb to the surface, but when she turned back down a kunai whizzed past her ear and severed the rope that held her to the ceiling. She screamed and fell headfirst toward the bottom and was caught by Shikamaru, who tumbled onto the ground.

"Ow, thanks…"

"Chic…ushou..." he replied.

Shikamaru helped her up and found they were surrounded by angry shinobi. Two of them were throwing kunai and shuriken through the hole in the top of the cave and the ninja above had to drop the wires and step back.

They stood back to back. "There's too many," Kumiko observed.

The genius ninja behind her was silent, most likely figuring out how to escape. The ninja were circling and Kumiko knew they didn't have enough time to set up and exhibit a crafty escape, so she did the first thing that came to her mind…

Kumiko whipped out Kiseki no Yochi and shoved her threatening in the other ninja's faces. They stepped back, eyeing the spear warily. With her other hand she pulled out a kunai and told Shikamaru to tie an explosive note to the end.

"Nani?" he asked.

"God...just do it!!"

When he was done she snatched the note and threw it at the ceiling.

"What the…KUMIKO!" Shikamaru screamed and started to panic.

Kumiko tackled him to the ground, opened the metal umbrella, and listened as the world came crashing down on their and the enemy ninja's heads.

……………………………………………………………………………………..

Gai, Neji, Tenten and Lee had to jump into safety so they wouldn't be pulled into the earthquake that Kumiko had initiated. Once everything was silent Neji had to hold Lee back who was practically frothing at the mouth.

Suddenly the ground groaned and a dusty figure leapt out of the ground and landed in a heap. Kumiko clapped Shikamaru on the back as he coughed out a clod of dirt and grinned.

"Heh, pretty genius wouldn't you say?"

"You…you freaking crazy woman!" Shikamaru shouted and started hacking again.

Lee tackled Kumiko and sobbed onto her shoulder and Neji looked upon the spectacle in disgust.


	41. Attack of the Killer Kunoichi!

The following chapter is a result of a colossal brain fart. Thank you.

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Attack of the Killer Kunoichi

"God…freaking…damnit…" Kumiko said.

She had just returned from her previous mission and found that her shed had been pried open, ransacked, and her favorite wrench stolen. Kumiko stalked angrily around the shed until she notice a yellow slip of paper tacked to the inside of the door.

_If you want to see your wrench again, come to Sakura's house at one o'clock._

_-the kunoichi chuunin_

Now it was 1:00 and Kumiko was standing outside of Sakura's house, smoke pouring out of her ears and threatening to set the village roofs on fire. She slammed her fists on the door.

"Sakura, baka! I'm going to kill you!"

There was silence behind the doorway as Kumiko waited. She thought she heard and evil cackling coming from the other side, and stepped back involuntarily when the door creaked open. She peeked hesitantly into the house then pushed the door open all the way. A dark hallway greeted her, and her anger diluted to a vague fright as the door closed behind her.

"S-Sakura?" she called.

The floorboards creaked as she removed her shoes and stepped forward, placing her toe down first as if to test the ground for traps. She rounded the corner to the kitchen on the left and saw that it was empty and silent. She moved forward to the living room and poked her head inside.

"Sakur…AHH!" she yelled as hands grabbed her and threw her face first into the room.

"What's the big idea?" she yelled as she sat up rubbing her head.

She was surrounded by the chuunin kunoichi, all of them grinning or giggling. "Hello, Kumiko-chan," Sakura said as she and Ino giggled softly.

"Okay…" Kumiko said, standing up. "I have no idea what you're planning but…just give me back my wrench!"

"I'm afraid we can't do that," Ino replied. "You see, the Academy is hosting a festival for all of the village shinobi tonight, and, well… "

"You see, it's formal dress," Tenten cut in.

They all stopped talking and Kumiko stared at them, utterly confused. "What the…okay, that's great for you, have an awesome time. Now will you just return my wrench?"

Sakura sighed. "Are you going to the festival?"

Kumiko stared at her as if she was an alien with multiple eyes, and tentacles coming out of her nose. "You joking me? Why would I ever go to some stupid…" she stopped suddenly and looked at the faces around her. "Oh no…no…"

Ino couldn't hold back her laughter anymore and fell to the floor.

"Not on your life! I swear…I'll beat the crap out of you all!"

She gazed around the room and met Hinata's eyes. "Of all people, Hinata…" she said pleadingly.

Hinata cowered in the corner. "M-maybe we shouldn't…"

Sakura ignored Hinata and clapped her hands together, then grinned a grin that could only come from the evil inner Sakura.

………………………………………………………………………………………..

"Chicushou!" Kumiko said and tried to pull away from Sakura's grasp.

"Kumiko-chan! If you run away Sakura will take her fist to your favorite wrench!" Tenten threatened.

Kumiko slumped over and played dead and Sakura struggled to pick her up by the sleeves and then shake her. "Come on, it's not that bad."

The girls emerged from the corner and went to mingle with the crowd at the festival, leaving Kumiko in Hinata's care. She searched the crowd and found Lee approaching Sakura, wearing a flashy white suit and then hand her a rose. She smiled uncertainty and took the rose from him and tried to inch away as he started complimenting her profusely. Ino found her teammate, Chouji, hovering by the food stand and wrenched him away by the ear and went to sit next to a very bored and tired looking Shikamaru. And then there was Neji, standing angrily by Lee, trying to ignore his incessant chattering.

Kumiko felt a tap on her shoulder. "Kumiko-chan, they didn't do it to be mean. You work so hard and we want to see you happy."

Kumiko sighed. "I know that at least you do Hinata, but where I am happy most is working in my shed. This stuff just… makes me feel uncomfortable."

Hinata opened her mouth to reply but was cut off. "Hoy, Hinata! Over here!"

Kiba was waving at her from the refreshment table where Akamaru was gorging himself on dropped food and Shino stared off into space. Hinata grabbed onto Kumiko's arm and led her into the party. Kumiko panicked and looked at the ground in a lame attempt to hide her face.

"Took you long enough…who's that?" Kiba asked when they met.

He bent down to try and look at her face but Kumiko ducked even lower, then to the right and left. Hinata pinched her and Kumiko yelped and looked at her in awe.

_Since when was she so sneaky?_

Kiba choked on his food and started coughing. When he finished he burst into laughter.

"Oh…my God. It's Kumiko-chan, in a dress!!"

He continued to howl with laughter and some of the other party-goers looked at him in annoyance. Kumiko's face turned the color of her red dress. In the middle, a blue ribbon held it snugly to her waist and matched that of the necklace around her neck. Apparently it was one of Sakura's that was just a little too small, and the girls figured it would fit Kumiko perfectly. They spent hours trying to make her hair sit flat against her head and finally succeeded with much cursing and painful tugs. They then shoved her in a pair of dress shoes and taught her to walk so she didn't look like a crippled chicken and then finally attacked her face.

"_I feel like a doll," Kumiko said as she reached up to scratch her nose._

_Sakura slapped her hand away. "No! You'll smudge the makeup!"_

_  
_There was a loud smack and Kumiko turned to see Kiba holding a reddened cheek. Hinata was staring at him angrily. "Don't be mean, Kiba-kun."

He goggled at her. "I-I wasn't…I didn't mean…it was just I never expected to see her in a dress," he stuttered.

Once again Kumiko was baffled by Hinata's sudden surge of confidence.

"You stand like a beautiful butterfly before me, and radiate breathtaking youth!"

_Dear God… _Kumiko thought and turned to face Lee.

"Um…thanks?"

Lee was grinning wildly in his out-of-place white suit. Kumiko scratched her head when his smile didn't let up one bit.

"Okay…this is awkward so I'm gonna go get something to eat," she said and slipped away from her shinobi friends.

She sighed in relief when she reached the fruit plate. She plucked a grape off the vine and popped it into her mouth. She then looked around for a napkin, and, not finding one, wiped her hand on the dress.

"Your manners are repulsive, as always."

Neji was standing next to her, picking fruit off the table and laying it onto his own small plate, arranging them in an orderly fashion. He wore a black suit and tie with a red rose poking out the top of his chest pocket. Her fury was calmed, if only slightly, by a strange and unfamiliar feeling that had suddenly wiggled its way into her stomach.

"Leave me alone. This sucks already without you here to make me feel more idiotic."

She ate another grape angrily and chomped on it while putting her hands on her hips and furrowing her brows. She felt Neji's presence move closer and she nervously ate a slice of cantaloupe for lack of anything else to do.

"I never said you were idiotic, and I never said I didn't like your repulsive manners."

Kumiko coughed and whipped her head around only to find Neji's back was turned and halfway across the festival grounds.

She plopped down on an empty seat next to Shikamaru, who stared at her wide-eyed.

"Wow…you…"

"Don't say a word or I'll punch you in the nose," she grumbled.

Shikamaru grumbled. "Jeez, I was just going to say you looked nice, troublesome woman."

"God, at least you're acting the same." Kumiko heard a loud crash and frantic apologies as Lee tried to help one of the waitresses up off of the ground. "And Lee too, I guess."

Shikamaru shrugged and yawned. "Well, it's just unexpected to see you here, that's all. How come you came if you feel this way?"

"The killer kunoichi stole my favorite wrench and threatened to destroy it if I didn't let them turn me into a freak."

Shikamaru burst out laughing and held his stomach in shuddering gasps. "HAHAHA okay, now it makes sense!"

Kumiko laughed too and scratched her side where the fabric was making her itch. She gazed out at the festival and the happy faces. The academy was right to hold this party. These ninja were warriors, but they were people too, and every person needs to live some part of his or her life normally.

She scanned the area and saw Neji standing by himself. She raised her eyes to his and caught them, but instead of scowling and turning away he continued to watch her. Neji popped a strawberry into his mouth and Kumiko thought she saw him smile at her before turning away to quiet Lee, who was once again causing a ruckus.

The festival was nearing its end and Kumiko left Shikamaru snoring on the bench and walked home with Hinata. Lee found them halfway and escorted them the rest of the way, laughing and prancing through the dark and empty streets.

...

Get ready! Kumiko has made a name for herself in the shinobi world, but maybe she's a bit too famous. What will she do when a certain organization has caught wind of her technical prowess, and has a troubling "request" to make of her. Next up: When Devils Stalk Angels


	42. When Devils Stalk Angels

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: When Devils Stalk Angels

Kumiko's foot slipped and she fell crashing through the treetops to land in the bushes on the ground. Shino was staring down at her.

"Careful."

Kumiko scowled and stood up, dusting herself off, and checked the glass bottle that held the bugs she had collected. She sighed in relief when she saw that none of them had escaped.

"Why are you collecting them again?" Shino asked when she had climbed back into the tree.

Kumiko put her hands on her hips. "Well, you said the sticky substance they generate is like the strongest glue. I'm trying to fix Mikomi, and if I have this glue stuff then nothing could ever break her apart, not ever the Fifth's angry fist."

Shino grunted and poked at a hole in the tree, causing a swarm of ants to come marching out. "They're very difficult to find, and one only gives off a little bit."

Kumiko shrugged and leapt onto the branch above her, wind-milling her feet to help pull herself up. Shino made sure she found her footing before moving onto the tree next to them.

………………………………………………………….

Back in the village, Shikamaru was strolling lackadaisically through the streets, wondering how long it would be before he was sent on his next mission. Lee was doing pull-ups from the crumbling doorway of his gym, waiting for Kumiko to return from her gathering. And Neji was sitting quietly in his window-sill, watching his younger cousin train in the courtyard.

Konoha had entered another period of relative calm, and the three chuunin felt as though danger was lurking just around the corner. The only one who was oblivious of the ominous feeling was Kumiko herself, the one whom they were all worried about.

Her name spread like wildfire in the last few months, and now all the great shinobi nations knew who she was. Ninja traveled from near and far to ask her assistance, and many times Kumiko was sent off alone to repair something major within one of the villages. But there also came cries of urgency, from shinobi baffled by strange and gruesome circumstances, and during these times Kumiko was sent away in the company of her friends. All of the chuunin were delving into more dangerous missions, but Kumiko's seemed to be moving through the levels at a quicker pace.

The three ninja whom she chose most often for her missions, were the three who decided to meet at a restaurant in town that afternoon.

Lee and Neji ordered tea and waited for the third shinobi to arrive.

"Ah, gomen gomen," Shikamaru said and sat down at the table. An extra cup of tea was brought over to him and he blew on it, scattering the steam as is floated in gentle wisps and disappeared by the ceiling.

Lee dragged his finger around the rim of the cup and worried about Kumiko, wondering when she would return.

After awhile Shikamaru cleared his throat. "I'm often called to the Hokage mansion, so, I hear a lot of the talk."

The waitress came by and asked for their orders. They waited patiently until she filled their tea cups then left them alone.

"We've entered a quiet period. The higher ranked ninja have been sent on the few major missions, while the rest are taking small vacations. The Sannin Jiraiya has left along with Naruto; Orochimaru is quiet with Sasuke in his grasp, and the Fifth is getting sloppy in her vigilance. The rest of the shinobi are either training or sleeping. The days have become hot and hazy. People leave their windows open in order catch what little breeze there is. The tourists are coming the though the gates in waves, and the watching jonnin are tired of checking for suspicious peoples."

"Shikamaru …" Neji said quietly, and Shika sighed and rubbed the sides of his head.

"There are rumors. I heard the Fifth talking about it the other day. Jiraiya's on a double mission; to train Naruto and gather information on the Akatsuki. We knew before he left that they were going to stay silent for three years. But their silence was in regards to their strange mission that involved kidnapping Naruto. I was thinking about this and figured that there was no way this evil organization could possibly stay completely silent for such a long period of time, and I was even more convinced when I heard the Fifth talking."

The waitress came back with their lunch and Neji glared at her, annoyed that she interrupted their chat, and Lee smiled and thanked her for the food.

"Jiraya sent a message. The Akatsuki are planning something. He didn't know what for sure, but it has to do with building something that requires quite a bit of engineering. He heard from various sources that some of the Akatsuki were spotted in various villages, near construction companies and engineers, looking for a genius to be the mastermind behind the project"

Shikamaru stopped. Lee was grasping his cup, turning his his knuckles white, and the tea was quietly rippling in his shaky fingers.

"When Kabuto came into the village…and that was before she was so well known. And that time at the border…"

Lee gritted his teeth. "If they dare…"

"I'm afraid there's no way they won't." Shikamaru said quickly, and looked down at his plate.

There was a snap and the two shinobi's eyes darted toward Neji, who had broken his chopsticks in half and held the splintered ends tightly in his hand. The waitress arrived and offered him another pair.

...

Shino walked Kumiko back to her shed because he had promised to show her how to extract the glue-like substance without hurting the bug. He was somewhat surprised when she asked him to do so; these bugs were most likely one of the ugliest alive, and he was sure no one would care to set them free.

She handled them carefully, and after each extraction, walked back to the shed doors and opened her palm, allowing it to catch the updraft and fly away back into the forest. The sun began to dip and Shino said his goodbyes and set a time for them to meet up the next day and gather more bugs.

On the path that led back into the heart of the village Shino encountered the usually enthusiastic Lee, who was instead dragging his feet, kicking up dust. They passed each other by without a word and Shino continued on home. His father would be back tonight and he wanted to be there to greet him. As he turned the last corner that led to the main part of the village the bugs inside of him stirred, ever so slightly, and Shino shivered. He turned back around to stare at the darkening pathway, then shook the nervousness out of his head and continued on up road.

……………………………………………….

"What's wrong?" Asuma asked. "I almost beat you that time."

Shikamaru wasn't paying attention to his teacher. "Oh, what?…uh, sorry."

Asuma blew smoke from his nose and watched his favorite student worriedly. "For someone so smart, you sure are bad at hiding your emotions."

Shikamaru stood up. "Sorry sensei, but I don't think I'm up for another round. I'll see you tomorrow."

Asuma watched as Shikamaru shoved his hands in his pockets and shuffled slowly down the street, almost running into a group of girls who were giggling and looking through a shop window.

…………………………………………………………………..

Hinata knocked on the door. "Gomenasai, Neji-kun," she said, wringing her hands.

He stood impassively in the doorway, waiting for her to speak.

"I-I can tell you're upset," she began. When Neji didn't respond she continued. "I know it has to do with Kumiko-chan…"

"Nothing's wrong Hinata, go to sleep," he made to shut the door but Hinata grabbed the edge and held it open, surprising Neji with her sudden boldness.

"She's my friend too."

Neji turned his eyes away from his cousin and stared at the ground at Hinata's nervous shuffling feet. "Keep your eyes open, Hinata-niichan," he said quietly, and closed the door.

………………………………………………………..

Shino was late to the forests the next morning and had to search for Kumiko. He found her deep in its heart, climbing a massive tree whose boughs reached far beyond the normal canopy. She was too engrossed with her gathering that she didn't notice him, and he didn't bother to announce he was there.

"What was that?" she asked at mid-afternoon.

Shino grunted and shrugged his shoulders. Kumiko swung down through the branches and landed gracefully on the ground, like a cat, and peered through the brushes. The road that led to Konoha's main gates was only a few feet away, and Kumiko stepped into the sunshine and shielded her eyes. A figure appeared around the corner.

"Hoy! Hoy!" it called and waved frantically. The figure ran toward her and Kumiko watched it change into that of a man with long blonde hair. A shock of his hair was covering his left eye.

He stopped and grasped his knees, panting. "Please, could you tell me how much farther to the village of Konoha?"

"You're almost there," Kumiko replied and wiped her brow with the back of her hand. "It's just around the corner. Why are you in such a hurry?"

The man had managed to steady his breath and gazed up at the young shinobi before him. "My village is very small, and we live below a water dam. The other day it sprung a leak and is starting to crack around the edges. If it breaks the village will be covered in water and everyone will lose their homes! They sent me here to search for the famous gadget ninja, Kobayashi Kumiko."

Kumiko's stomach flip-flopped with pride, but she refused to let it go to her head and remained calm. "Well you're very lucky, because I'm Kumiko."

Shino remained hidden in the trees above the pathway, listening in on the conversation. The man seemed normal enough, but the bugs inside of him were nervously scuttling throughout his body. The man started tugging on Kumiko's arm, asking her to come with him right away, and Shino acted without thinking.

"I'm sorry. But we must report to the Hokage before every mission."

The man shot Shino a glance so full of hatred that Shino had to resist the urge to turn around and run away. But instead he leapt down from the tree and pretended he hadn't seen the glance.

"Gomen, gomen, what was I thinking?" the man replied and smiled. "How about we go back together? I'd like to leave as soon as possible."

Kumiko smiled and led the way, with Shino trailing behind. By now his bugs were screaming: _Killer! Killer! Run! _Shino sunk his neck deeper into his collar and glued his eyes to the blonde man's back, stepping quietly, and carefully.

...

...

Footsteps echoed through the empty streets of Konoha.

"Oh God, please, where is she? Oh God…" a voice whispered as it dashed across the rooftops in a blur of green.

Civillians who could not yet fall asleep opened their windows and blinds and peeked out into the night, wondering what possibly could have happened to drive the ninja into such a frenzy. The streets lamps were temporarily left blazing so the shinobi could better see in the dark, and find anything trying to slink though the shadows.

"Someone…please…tell me it didn't really happen." A cat jumped out from the alleyway and was caught with a shadow, then set free as the attacker cried out in frustration and continued searching between buildings.

"Chikushou!" Corded eyes searched every inch of the village and beyond, going over the same corner again and again in the user's flustered mind.

Lee was the one who found Shino, lying belly-down on the pathway to Konoha. When they turned him around his face was covered in ash and his clothes were tattered, as if they had been burned. The Fifth arrived shortly after and healed the wounded ninja. As he regained consciousness he clutched at Lee's shirt.

"He took her!"

One by one the village's shinobi arrived and gathered in a circle around the fallen chuunin. Akatsuki had struck. And they had taken a Konoha ninja with them; one of their beloved shinobi, the famous chuunin gadget ninja: Kobayashi Kumiko

Oooo don't you just love (hate) cliffhangers? Unfortunately I'm still trying to figure out the next part. Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up soon!


	43. Proposition

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Proposition

_Creak._

"Come on,"

_Creeeak!_

"Come on!"

_Snap!_

"That's it."

Kumiko wrenched the wooden floorboard off the ground, pulling it and its nails up and out, then placed it on the side. Under it was a small space between the two layers of floorboards, one just large enough to fit most of her tools. She shoved the tools that were in her pack under the floorboard, and chose a few to keep. At some point they would have to search her, and if they found nothing in her bag they'd be suspicious. Kumiko then covered up the now full space and sat down on the hard and creaky bed in the corner of the room.

The blonde haired nin had been walking her back to the village when all of a sudden she heard an explosion right by her ear. Something smacked her on the back of the head and the next thing she knew she was in a room. Kumiko glanced around her; no windows, cracks in the dirty whitewashed walls, splinters on the rotted floorboards. It didn't take a genius to find out what had happened. The blonde haired man had kidnapped her. And despite what her friends may think Kumiko had heard the rumors about the Akatsuki. It could only be them.

She sat stiffly on the bed, searched for a clock and found none. She felt calm though she had just been kidnapped. It was obvious they wanted something from her. But what they wanted was what scared her.

"Trapped in a den of traitors and murderers."

The door swung open and the blonde haired ninja stepped inside. He looked nothing like the scared man who had approached her on the pathway to Konoha. He stepped inside the room and ran his eyes over Kumiko's straight-backed and figure and grinned.

"Welcome to the Akatsuki hideout Kumiko-chan. My name is Deidara."

He held up a lunch box that he was carrying and set it down next to her on the bed.

"It's kind of annoying but I'm in charge of you until our Leader arrives, hn."

Kumiko stared at one eye, the other being covered by long blonde bangs.

"Come now don't look at me like that. At least I care enough to bring you decent food. If anyone else were here I doubt they'd do the same."

"What do you want me to build?" Kumiko asked bluntly.

The blonde nin's eye flashed angrily for a split second then quickly relaxed and a smile spread across the ninja's face. "I guess you really are as smart as the rumors said, hn."

The hint of anger gave some of her confidence back and Kumiko reached over to the lunch box and placed it on her lap. The blonde ninja watched as she broke the chopsticks and popped a piece of the sushi in her mouth.

"Hm, this is pretty good. Did you make it yourself?"

"I have a feeling we're not going to get along," he said.

"Whatever it is you want from me, I won't give it to you. You're a bunch of dirty bastards who get off at the sight of blood. I'll never get along with any of you."

Deidara scowled and whirled around, and Kumiko caught a camera eye that was hiding under his bangs.

"You better watch yourself, hn," he said menacingly before slamming the door shut.

Kumiko immediately regretted angering the blonde Akatsuki. She had a habit of pissing her enemies off, and sometimes did it without thinking. Usually it caused them to become flustered and make a mistake, but then again she _was_ dealing with the infamous Akatsuki. Their tempers seemed to flow thinly.

Deidara didn't come back again for a long time. Kumiko took her mind off her uneasiness by setting a trap about the door. She placed one of her sharp needles precariously on a small piece of wood and set it under the doorway. The needle was so small and thin that it would shake and fall off the block when the floor shook, even if it shook a little. She then tied a piece of clear wire tightly around the needle, ran it along the edges of the room, behind her bed and under the pillow where it was attached to a small bell. If the needle fell off the block the bell would ting softly, giving her time to hide whatever she was doing in her room. It was crude, but effective, and easy to take apart so Kumiko could do so whenever she left the room. _If _she left the room.

When she was finished she sat back down on the bed, more at ease now that she had set a trap, and waited.

The trap was tested when Deidara came back into her room. It took 25 seconds from when the bell rang to when the doorknob began to turn.

Deidara stood in the doorway. "The Leader has arrived. Follow me,"

…………………………………………….

She walked through darkness, following blindly the dim outline of the blonde shinobi in front of her. She reached out her hand and ran it along the chilly stone walls. The hallway opened into a large cavern, brighter, lit by some unknown fire. Ahead was a structure embedded into the wall, in the shape of a monstrous face with a dozen closed eyes. Though it was made of stone it looked very much alive, as if it was sleeping. But though the carving made her uneasy, what caused Kumiko to quake in fear were the eight shadowy figures standing atop two colossal stone hands.

"Welcome Kobayashi Kumiko, to the Akatsuki hideout," a deep voice rumbled.

She couldn't make out which one of the figures was speaking and her eyes darted back and forth to each one. When looking more closely she noticed that they were in fact made only of shadows, as if they were projected there from far away. Deidara was the only one who seemed to be physically present.

"We have a proposition for you, Kumiko-chan. We want you to build something for us," the same voice continued. "You see this statue behind us?"

One of the figures gestured with his hand and Kumiko then knew he was the Leader.

"Well, the Akatsuki has a very important mission. That mission is to find, capture, and extract the Bijuu out of all the Jinchuuriki, and then implant that demon inside of each one of us. You can imagine what power this will give."

Kumiko stared at the figure, trying to hide her trembling limbs. This is what they have been planning. This is why they want to capture Naruto. Doesn't Gaara also have a Bijuu as well? If they complete their mission...

"We have successfully created a way to extract that Bijuu, but we're having difficulty reversing the process."

The room was silent except for the voice of the Leader, and Kumiko could hear water dripping somewhere off in the darkness. They must be in a cave somewhere by a river, but she had no idea where in relation to her beloved Konoha.

"This is where you come in. You will build us a machine that allows the user to put the Bijuu inside of him."

Kumiko was wrenched out of her reverie and she stared at the dark figures above her. Perched on the stone hands like a flock of vultures, waiting for their prey to either lower its guard or drop dead. All of them were looking at her, one of them was glaring. She saw a pair of red eyes staring fiercely at her and she shuddered involuntarily. She could read them perfectly; they wanted desperately to kill her.

"We'll give you all the equipment you need and all the time in the world. We'll take shifts keeping an eye on you and lending you assistance. Don't worry you'll be treated well. Then when you're finished we'll…let you go."

Kumiko knew they would do no such thing. Suddenly her fear leapt out from where she had kept it in check and took hold of her so fiercely that she did the only thing she could.

"I won't do it. I'll never help you!" she screamed. "I'd die before I'd do this terrible thing, even if I have to kill myself with my own hands!"

There was snickering from the figures above her.

"I like this one," one with purple eyes said.

"We thought you'd say that, hn," the blonde nin said. "So we arranged a little something. You see Itachi and Kisame are right now just a few miles away from Konoha. If you should do anything to displease us, such as refusing our proposition, then they're free to go into the village and do whatever they want. You have some close friends there, right? What were their names?...that lazy boy, the Hyuuga protégé and that silly hyperactive taijutsu user."

Kumiko locked hazes with the red Sharingan eyes and knew that the dangerous black haired shinobi wished nothing more than to make her suffer.

_Blackmail…_

"Okay," she said quietly. "You've got a deal."

Some of the members above her snickered, others disappeared, until only Deidara and the Leader's shadow remained.

"Good. Sleep well tonight, because tomorrow you'll begin right away."

As Deidara walked her back to her room and set her dinner out on the floor Kumiko promised herself that she would never allow her friends to be hurt, she would escape the lair, and bring ruin to its cold and stony walls.


	44. Blonde Man, Silver Man, 1

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Blonde Man, Silver Man (chap. 1)

Kumiko's wrench fell from her grip and landed with a cold thud onto the floor. She looked down at it from the top of her ladder. Deidara appeared under her and picked it up, then threw it back to her.

"Thanks," she yelled down.

"Hn," he replied.

Kumiko had taken two days to study the many eyed stone structure before she could create a rough blueprint of her own machine. During those times she was mostly alone. Deidara appeared in the cavern every once and awhile to make sure she was working, and that she wasn't trying to escape. After she created a rough blueprint she made a list of materials and Deidara got them for her. On the third day she had begun the real work. It was now day number seven.

For any normal human being, working in a dank dark cavern while being watched by a S-rank criminal would have driven them insane, or at least made them uneasy. But Kumiko was used to locking herself in her shed for days on end so it wasn't as hard on her. Once she started working Deidara began to hang around more. It was obvious that he didn't know anything about machinery but he watched her intently.

One particular day (or night, Kumiko wasn't sure) she had finished the large motor and had to haul it toward the beginning skeleton and hoist it up to the top. She pulled and pulled but could only move it a few inches. Frustrated, she was about to give up when a pair of hands placed themselves besides her.

Deidara didn't say a word and Kumiko decided not to ask why, in case he took back his offer. The two of them pushed and pulled the awkward and heavy motor into the middle of the cavern, then created a rope and pulley system to hoist it up onto the structure. When they were done a few hours later they both stood proudly and admired the work.

"Thank you," Kumiko said, wiping the sweat from her brow.

"Well, you couldn't have moved it by yourself, hn, and this machine is very important to the Leader." he replied, almost to himself.

After that he left the room and Kumiko set about making the next level of the skeleton.

On the fifth day Kumiko was once again hauling a heavy piece of metal across the room. It was heavy, but she was making okay progress. Deidara appeared from the shadows and shooed her away, then lifted up the metal and brought it to the center of the room and set it down. The motor before was so heavy Kumiko could not have moved it, but this time she was doing find on her own. Deidara must have known that.

Later that night when Deidara brought her dinner, he lingered in the doorway. "You're different, why aren't you scared of me?"

She looked up from her dinner at him. "Well, I guess, you haven't given me any reason for being afraid," she answered.

Deidara seemed unsatisfied by this answer. "But I'm an S-ranked criminal, I've killed a lot of people. I'm part of the Akatsuki!"

Deidara seemed to be getting flustered. Kumiko thought maybe it was because her lack of fear was hurting his pride. She suddenly became wary, wondering if he would decide to make her fear him.

"Dei…"

"I haven't given you a reason to be frightened," he said, cutting her off.

He stood in the doorway for a few more seconds before whirling round and exiting the room, then shutting the door behind him. Kumiko found that her dinner that night tasted the best she had eaten for a long time.

Back up on her ladder Kumiko stood on her tiptoes and tightened a tricky bolt that held the top of the structure together. The skeleton of the machine was almost finished, and then she would have a respite from back-breaking labor to create the smaller and finer parts that carried out the actual process. Even though she was creating this machine for a terrible cause, she couldn't help but feel excited about the challenge it provided her. That, and the machine would never be put to use anyway…

"Everything's tight down here, hn," Deidara called up to her.

Kumiko put the wrench in her mouth and quickly descended the ladder. She leapt off at the bottom and proceeded to check the bolts she had assigned Deidara to tighten.

"Good work," she told him.

Once again they stood and admired the work. Kumiko turned to see that Deidara was glancing at her from the corner of his eye. She pretended not to see him and bent down to wipe an invisible smudge off the bottom of the exo-skeleton.

When she returned that night she opened the floor plank and took out a folded up sheet of paper with smudged pencil markings. The blueprint she had been using in front of Deidara was in fact a fake one. The one she held in her hands was real. They were almost the same except for one small difference: this one had a bomb instead of a motor attached to the lower left corner. In her room at night Kumiko assembled little by little the complicated time bomb with the materials she swiped from the cavern. It was small but deadly, and required very careful construction. On the day she was to demonstrate the machine, there will be a hidden switch in the pocket that sets off the bomb. If she constructed it correctly, it will raise the Akatsuki hideout to the ground, hopefully taking as many of the members as possible with it.

The bell dinged softly. Kumiko quickly folded up the piece of paper and threw it under the floorboard, then slammed it shut and jumped onto her bed and began fiddling with her pack straps.

Deidara entered her room. Kumiko noticed he was holding two lunch boxes instead of one. He set one down on her bed where he always did, then placed the other on the floor and sat down behind it. Kumiko watched as he broke his chopsticks and pulled out a dumpling and began to eat.

"You're not eating?" he asked her.

Kumiko broke her own chopsticks.

"I'm leaving tomorrow. One of the other members is coming to take my place, hn."

Kumiko stopped eating to look at him, still confused as to why he would eat with her, and sit on the floor no less.

"I wanted to warn you that the one who's coming is named Hidan. He's a psychopathic Jashinist who can't die. He's not…not like me. Some of the members act on their own without the Leader's consent. Who knows what he'll do."

Kumiko was silent, waiting for Deidara to explain why he was telling her this. But instead he stood up and threw something onto the bed next to her, then exited her room in a hurry, leaving his half eaten dinner behind.

Kumiko picked up the slip of paper that was lying on the bed. She recognized the markings as a type of summoning. She turned it over:

_This will summon my hologram. It already has chakra embedded in it and all you need to do is prick your finger and say my name. Watch yourself, Kobayashi Kumiko-chan._

Kumiko carefully folded the paper and placed it into her pocket, where she could easily reach it if she needed to.


	45. Blonde Man, Silver Man, 2

Hello, unfortunately lots of swearing is about to commence because of a certain sailor tongued man. I thought about avoiding it for those who don't like swearing but I really wouldn't be accurate at all so...you have been warned!

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Blonde Man, Silver Man (chap. 2)

Early the next morning Kumiko had constructed herself a crude chair where she could carry out the next part of her new machine, which she decided to secretly call the Bakushinchi (center of explosion). Deidara was pacing throughout the shadows, his figure visible than invisible as he stepped in and out of the light of the candles that were set about the cavern. He stopped between the twin torches that lit the face of the many eyed stone monster and stared up at it.

Kumiko wanted desperately to know what he was thinking of as he clenched and unclenched his hands. Was he feeling impatient for the completion of the Bakushinchi? Perhaps he was itching to put the statue to use on a Jinchurriki. He approached the statue and placed his palm on its surface. After a few moments he pulled away and a little pink tongue retracted back into his hand. Maybe he was afraid of something.

Suddenly the silence was interrupted by approaching footsteps from an unknown passageway. Deidara hurriedly left the looming shadow of the statue, stood against a wall, and crossed his arms. A figure appeared next to him.

"I'm here, the Leader says well done Deidara. What a fucking pain in the ass."

The man had silver slicked back hair which accentuated the paleness of his skin. His cloak was half open at the front to reveal his chest and a brass pendant: a circle and an upside down triangle, symbol of the dangerous Jashinist faith.

"I'll bet you're itching to get the hell out of here," the man said.

Deidara hesitated before nodding his head. "No kidding, hn."

The blonde nin turned his back to Kumiko and the Jashinist and disappeared down the corridor from which the silver haired man had appeared.

"So, that's it?"

The man was standing right in front of her, with his purple eyes fixed on the Bakushinchi above. Kumiko remembered him from the meeting with the Leader.

"_I like this one," _he had said.

Just by looking at him Kumiko could tell he was dangerous.

"Things're gonna change. Deidara may have let you off easy but I'm no pushover," he was looking at her now. "Try anything funny and I'll use you as a sacrifice to Jashin-sama."

Swiftly the man bent down and took Kumiko's chin in his hand. "But you never know…I may use you as a sacrifice anyway," he said softly, and breathed gently onto her face.

"Y-you can't. I'm the only one who can finish the machine. The Leader will get angry."

Hidan started to laugh. He let go of her chin and spread his arms wide. "Is that what you think? The Leader doesn't scare me. I'm fucking immortal; I can do whatever the hell I want!"

He calmed his laughter and let down his arms. "But you're right, no one else can finish your machine. And I admit that I want to see it running. So you're safe for now, but you better hope I don't get bored before my time here is over."

He wheeled around and stalked over to a corner of the room, blending into the shadows, except for the glint of candlelight atop his silver hair.

"Don't mind me. I'll just keep an eye on you from here."

After he finished speaking the cavern once again plunged into silence. Kumiko had dropped her wrench when Hidan grabbed her chin and she stared at it lying on the floor.

_Deidara was right, _she thought. "_He is different. He's insane, not tied down by the rules of the Akatsuki. He doesn't fear the Leader and he doesn't give a damn. I can see it in those purple eyes: he'll kill me if he wants to._

She picked up the wrench and resumed her tinkering. All she had to do was survive the next few days with the silver haired man. She worried, though, because the part of the machine she was now working on wasn't very exciting to watch. She would have to work on something else every once and awhile, hoping that it would satisfy him.

She glanced over to the corner to where Hidan had been standing. But now he was completely blended into the wall, stalking through the shadows as an animal stalks its prey.

Kumiko was awakened in the middle of the night when the door was flung open.

"Wake up, time to work."

She opened her eyes to see Hidan looking at her from the doorway.

"It's not daytime yet," she protested.

Hidan frowned. "What's that I hear? The little bitch needs more beauty sleep? How about I let a little blood, that'll _really_ make you tired."

Kumiko shut her mouth, stumbled out of bed, and shouldered her pack. She followed Hidan down the hallway and into the cavern.

"If you behave and work hard then maybe I'll let you eat lunch."

When he said this Kumiko realized how hungry she was. The last time she eaten was when Deidara brought her breakfast the day before. She ignored the pains in her stomach and set to work.

Hours later Hidan approached her. "Would you look at the time! I forgot to get your lunch, but it's time for dinner anyway."

He handed her a cup of water and a slice of bread. Kumiko took it and looked up at Hidan. His eyes were sparkling in anticipation, but no matter what Kumiko would not allow him the satisfaction of seeing her beg for more food. She ate it slowly and then returned to her work.

...

Kumiko lost track of how many days had passed. Hidan made sure that her body couldn't get used to any rhythm. He gave her one meal a day, sometimes two, but she wasn't sure if it really was two or simply the end of another day. Her progress on the Bakushinchi was getting slower. She made too many mistakes, took longer to assemble the parts. She was tired and weak.

She had just finished attaching a medium sized motor to the bottom of the structure when she realized it was supposed to be attached to the top right corner. After painstakingly removing it, Kumiko found that she could not lift it with the pulley system. She pulled and pulled but it would not budge. She remembered how Deidara had helped her the first time she had to lift a motor. Whether it was out of compassion or a desire to see the machine finished, Kumiko didn't know. But she didn't care, all that mattered was that he had helped her. Her hands began to shake and she collapsed onto the stony floor, which was riddled with sawdust and jagged pieces of scrap metal.

"Hey, hey, what the hell are you doing? You slacking off?"

Hidan appeared next to her. His voice didn't sound angry, it was utterly delighted, and the sparkle in his eyes confirmed it.

"Hidan-sama," she said, (because that was what he made her call him). "I can't finish the machine if I have no strength."

He humphed. "How useless."

"Hidan-sama, I can't finish it if you don't help me."

He was silent, waiting for her to go on.

"Hidan-sama, I'll cut off your fucking head if you don't treat me better."

Hidan was silent for a few moments, causing Kumiko to feel more than a twinge of fear, before he grabbed his stomach and burst into laughter. "That's more fucking like it! You've acted like a scared little bitch since I came here. I want the you I saw at that meeting. I know all about you Kobayashi Kumiko; just try to cut off my head, I'll enjoy the struggle!"

Kumiko shied away from the crazy laughing man. He turned and started hobbling away, still holding his stomach and screaming with laughter, until Kumiko was alone in the cavern. She picked herself off of the ground and gritted her teeth. She wanted nothing more than slice through that pretty face of his and splatter his maniacal smile throughout the Akatsuki lair, even if he was immortal.

She ran her hand along the surface of the Bakushinchi to calm the anger boiling inside of her. She had to keep calm or her entire plan would be ruined, and put up with the immortal man's cruelness and insanity, no matter how difficult it would be.


	46. Blonde Man, Silver Man, 3

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Blonde Man, Silver Man (chap. 3)

Over the next few days Kumiko noticed that Hidan was feeding her more and giving her more time to sleep. He was still cruel, but now it was manageable. Kumiko should have felt happy, but Hidan was getting restless. Instead of watching her quietly by the wall he paced around the cavern, mumbling to himself and fingering his Jashinist pendant. She felt uneasy.

Then one night her little bell rang. Kumiko scrambled to hide her explosives and sat down on the bed. But Hidan didn't enter her room. She heard his footsteps approach, then fade, then approach again. His mumblings were almost loud enough to understand so Kumiko pressed her ear to the door.

"…been five days. Too many…Jashin-sama won't be happy. But if I use her it would make it up…machine and the Leader…It's just two more days…two more."

The mumblings stopped and the footsteps began quickly moving away. When they disappeared Kumiko drew back from the door and sat on her knees.

_In two more days Hidan will be gone. But he's at his limit now._ She began to pace around her room. _Hidan could snap at any time. _

She ripped open the floorboard and pulled out Kiseki no Yochi, then flipped open her spear. _I have to be ready for him. _

She prayed that she wouldn't have to use her weapon because then the Akatsuki would know she was hiding things and also, Hidan was immortal, what could she possibly do against him anyway?

She stayed awake all night long, gripping Kiseki tightly and jumping at every little sound. Just as she was about to close her eyes she heard something echo through the corridors.

The voice sounded softly at first and then grew louder, and louder. Someone was screaming, and the pain and terror in the voice make Kumiko start to tremble. As she listened Kumiko was almost sick on the floor because in the background she could hear Hidan's maniacal laughter. He had found a victim, and was torturing them somewhere in the depths of the Akatsuki lair.

Kumiko buried her face in her pillow and held her ears, but nothing could drown out the sounds of murder that assaulted her nerves like a repeated electric shock. Tears formed in her eyes, thinking that it was her fault that Hidan had sought out an innocent victim to satisfy his bloodlust.

The screaming was suddenly cut off, like the switching off a radio. The laughter remained, escalated, died down to a soft giggle, then there was no sound at all. Kumiko sat stock still on her bed, almost breaking her knuckles from holding Kiseki so tightly, shivering and sniffling. The silence was broken by fast approaching footsteps. He was coming for her. The bell dinged on the side of her bed and Kumiko watched, glued to her seat, as the doorknob began to turn.

The door was slammed open so hard that the top hinge broke and the tiny bolts flew into opposite corners of the room. Hidan was in the doorway, with blood splattered across his naked chest and Akatsuki cloak. He stepped inside, dragging behind him an enormous three bladed scythe, and left tracks of bloody footprints on the dusty wooden floor. He braced himself against the wall, dragging a hand down its side leaving a red elongated hand-print.

He looked at Kumiko. "It's funny, I thought I had fixed the problem when I went to find someone else to sacrifice. But I don't feel satisfied. Don't get me wrong, it was fucking amazing, but then I realized that I wouldn't be satisfied until I had a taste of _your _blood. It's strange because it usually doesn't matter who…I guess you're just special."

He smiled, there was blood even between his teeth. Hidan pulled his scythe in front of him and gripped it in both of his hands. He licked his lips then lunged at her, and Kumiko dodged. She was able to move not because her fear had broken, but because something unknown had taken hold of her body and willed it to move. Kumiko was barely conscious.

Hidan growled and lunged again, but Kumiko blocked his scythe with Kiseki no Yochi and leapt over his head and darted through the broken doorway.

'_This feels strange but somewhat familiar', _she thought as she ran through the empty corridor. _'As if it has happened before, though I don't know where.'_

She skidded into the cavern and stood in the center, waiting for her pursuer to appear. Hidan came howling out of the darkness, grinning maniacally.

"This is what I've been waiting for. Show me what you got!" he screamed and hurled his scythe at her.

Kumiko dodged the throw but the scythe whipped around and came at her again.

"Nani?" Hidan gasped.

Ahead of him he saw Kumiko holding his scythe; she had caught it with her bare hands. Her eyes were quivering, flashing between her own terror-filled blue ones, and a different pair, red as the blood dripping from Hidan's fingers.

With a low growl Kumiko ran at Hidan, wielding the scythe and hurled it at him with all her might. It ripped through the air and sliced cleanly through his neck. Blood spurted from the wound and Hidan's body fell to the floor with a thump. His head rolled off to the side and rested against the wall.

"Son of a bitch that hurt! Now you're really gonna get it!"

Kumiko stood in the middle of the cavern listening to Hidan's disembodied head yell a stream of curses and insults at her. What had happened was fuzzy in her head and she decided that she needed to lie down. She walked carefully across the blood slick floor and down the hallway to her room. The door was broken so she left it open. She had enough sense to hide Kiseki no Yochi and shut the open floorboard before sitting down on her bed. In a few minutes she was asleep, dreaming in the color red.


	47. Masked Man, Killer Man, 1

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Masked Man, Killer Man (chap.1)

Kumiko woke up. All of her muscles ached and patches of her skin felt taunt. She reached up to her cheek, rubbed it, and saw flecks of red fall onto her pillow. Confused, she sat up and noticed that her clothes were covered in dark red splotches.

"Good, you're awake."

Kumiko darted her eyes to the corner of the room and saw a masked man with green pupil-less eyes watching her. "Hidan's gone," he continued. "I'm his partner Kakuzu, and I'll be watching you for the next few days.

_Hidan…_

All Kumiko could remember of the night before was mumblings, a rising fear, screams in the distance, then Hidan slamming her door open. She also remembered a bloody scene on the floor of the cavern, and a headless Hidan shouting at her.

_But what happened in-between? _she thought. _Had this man done it?_

"I don't blame you, the idiot had it coming."

Kumiko was confused and her head began to throb. She grabbed her temples and placed her head between her knees.

"You have no time to rest. Eat, and then get back to work," the man said, then left the room.

When she was finished eating Kumiko sat on her bed and waited for the masked man to return and bring her to the cavern. She watched the door and realized that it had been fixed. Just to see what would happen she turned the doorknob and was surprised when she found that it wasn't locked.

Walking down the hallway Kumiko had a vague fear that upon entering the cavern she would find the bloody mess from the night before. She also feared that somewhere in the darkness, maybe even under her feet right now, was the body of Hidan's sacrificial victim. But as she entered the cavern everything was as it always had been. She pushed her confusion and fears out of her mind, though, because the Bakushinchi was itching to be completed, and Kumiko was itching to escape the dark of the Akatsuki hideout.

The next part of the project required finishing the last bits of the delicate appliance that made the entire machine run, and fitting the center of the structure with a glass tube in which the one receiving the Bijuu would be held. So, Kumiko sat in her chair and tinkered with the main device for a few hours until she happened to look away and see a lunch box sitting on the floor by her feet. She looked around quickly, surprised that she had not noticed when Kakuzu entered the cavern, and quietly ate her lunch alone.

Over the next few days Kumiko caught not even a whisper of the green eyed masked man's presence. He let her walk to and from her room every morning and night, and no matter how hard she tried she could not catch him delivering her meals. It was a relief for her though, compared to the obsessive presence of Hidan, but she was still fearful of this enigmatic man. She couldn't predict his movements at all.

One afternoon Kumiko placed the main device on the floor and stood up from her chair. The Bakushinchi was nearing its completion, and sooner or later Kumiko had to find a way out of the lair so she could later escape later. Earlier on she had planned to pick the lock on her door and sneak around at night; that would be the safest solution. But now that her captor seemed to be ignoring her she couldn't pass up this delicate opportunity.

She left the well-lit center of the cavern and approached its darkened edges, then ran her hand along the stone surface, looking for an opening. Soon enough she found one and pressed herself closely to the wall and walked inside, with open eyes and open ears, down the unknown passageway.

It was long and very windy but no forks in the road so Kumiko didn't have to worry about getting lost. The texture of the wall under her fingers changed from cool stone to rough and splintery wood. Carefully she searched for a doorknob and grabbed onto it. The brass was slippery from her sweating hands, but she was very cold as she stood in front of the closed door. She opened it soundlessly onto a dim room. It had one bed and a desk full of papers. On the desk was a candle, still lit.

Kumiko panicked. _This must be _his _room. That means he's out patrolling somewhere in the lair._

Though this thought frightened her, Kumiko decided that it would have been worse if she had opened the door to find him _in _his room. But she had to decide quickly what to do: go in, go back, or keep moving.

"I suggest you close the door."

Kumiko yelped and lurched forward, then spun around to face green eyes, flickering in a soft candlelight.

"Congratulations, you found my room. But I wonder what you are doing here?"

Kumiko stepped back and thought quickly. "I was going to my room to find a tool and went down the wrong corridor."

Kakuzu took a step forward and Kumiko caught a glimpse of a jagged stitch line protruding from the top of his mask.

"Is that so? Well then, you'd better go get that tool. We don't want to waste any time." He stepped aside so the doorway was open, but Kumiko had trouble willing her feet to move.

"Don't be afraid. I'm not like Hidan. I've calculated that it would cost more to have you injured or killed than it would to keep you alive. So you're safe with me. But then again, if you should do something to tip the scales then I won't hesitate to kill you. I'm not soft like Deidara, and remember; I am Hidan's Sempai, even if he is immortal."

Kumiko didn't feel the least bit comforted.

"Now, get out!" he shouted then shoved her out of the room.

The door slammed shut behind her and Kumiko stumbled for a moment before she took off running as fast as she could down the hallway, tripping on uneven stones, then into the cavern and back to her room. She shut the door and sat on the bed, hugging her pillow close.


	48. Masked Man, Killer Man, 2

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Masked Man, Killer Man (chap.2)

Despite Kakuzu's terrifying warning, Kumiko still had to find a way out of the lair. She decided that sneaking around at night was less dangerous than during the day, though not by much. She waited a few days until the glass holding capsule was finished and the main device required some simple modifications before it would be complete, and readied herself for a reconnaissance mission.

She rummaged through her pack and the tools she had hid under the floorboard and chose the ones she thought she might need. Keeping them in her pack would be too awkward and she was afraid they would rattle. She was elated when she tested the door and found that it was still unlocked, so Kumiko quietly slipped out and crouched in the hallway.

She had no idea how the lair was shaped but decided to go first to the cavern because she doubted the Akatsuki would keep her in a room along the same route as the exit. Once in the cavern she stopped and perked her ears, listening for any indication that the masked man was in the room, or perhaps even following behind her. When she deemed it safe she continued on, passing the passageway that led to his room (she was too afraid to brave that again) and searched for another one.

The next one was located just to the right of the stone statue. Heart thumping in her chest Kumiko entered it, and carefully traveled through the corridor. Unlike the one leading to Kakuzu's room, this one seemed straight. After a few minutes of slow walking Kumiko felt the floor begin to slope upwards, and she hurried her pace, eager to finish her mission and return to her room. All of a sudden she felt a breath of warm air waft through the corridor and she stopped; she also thought she heard a noise.

Kumiko quickly decided she had gone far enough, fearing the noise and the chance that there was some kind of alarm system set around the exit. She could only hope that the gust of air was in fact from the world above. It was hard, but she wrenched herself away from the tantalizingly way out of hell and turned back to the darkness from which she came.

_I'll make my way out for sure, leaving this all behind as nothing but a cloud of dust._

She raced as quietly as she could back into the lair, adrenaline coursing through her veins, and back into her room where she shut the door. She slid down and sat on the ground, calming her racing heart.

Things were finally starting to come towards the end. Kumiko opened the floorboard and pulled out her secret blueprint. Now that she knew her way out, there was little left to do. She had to put the covering on the Bakushinchi, connect all the wires, and create the remote that would start and finish her masterpiece. She was studying the layout for the remote when something tickled her forearm. Thinking it was a bug she reached up and brushed it away.

"I can hear your heart beating."

Kumiko's blood ran cold at the sound of the voice behind her.

"I wonder what it is that could make that little heart of yours so excited? Perhaps it's that thing you're holding in your hand."

Something brushed her arm again and long black tentacles began to wrap themselves around her body from behind. Kumiko's breath hitched in her throat as they tied her arms to her sides and her ankles to one of the bed-legs. An arm reached past her shoulder and plucked the blueprint off of her lap and Kumiko saw that it was crisscrossed with stitches.

"A blueprint?" the voice said. "It looks a little different than the one in the cavern. And what is that, a floorboard has come loose?" Behind her, her captor leaned forward, the tips of his thin brown hair brushing her shoulders and neck gently, and whispered in her ear. "And what were you doing sneaking around the hideout?"

Kumiko, though wrack with fear, refused to crack. No matter how frightened she was she had to fool Kakuzu or her entire plan would be ruined. It wasn't just her life on the line; it was her friend's lives, all the lives in Konoha, and anyone else that Akatsuki would target in the future.

"What's that?" he said angrily as Kumiko made a choking sound.

"I-I've been making last minute modifications for the last few days," she choked out. "I'm not sure yet if they will be effective so that's why they're not on the main blueprint yet. Also, I put my favorite tools under the floorboard when I was first brought here because I was afraid you'd take them away. I just never bothered to remove them. And I…I'm sorry for sneaking around! I promise never to do it again!"

Her heart pounded heavily and she hoped Kakuzu would think it was out of general fear rather than from telling a lie. The room was silent for a moment.

"You know, that thumping heart of yours sounds so delicious I could simply eat it right now." Tears formed on the edges in Kumiko's eyes as two stitched fingers reached around her to press harshly against the skin on her left side, right in front of her heart. "But you're still worth more alive than dead. Continue working, but I'll be watching you closely now. One wrong move and I'll eat that juicy little heart of yours and use it to replace one of my own."

Suddenly the tentacles released her.

"Sweet dreams now," Kakuzu said, before his shadow whirled through the doorway, slammed it shut, and then locked it.


	49. Masked Man, Killer Man, 3

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Masked Man, Killer Man (chap.3)

Not only did Kakuzu watch Kumiko the next morning, but he stood right behind her chair and followed on her heels whenever she stood. She frequently found herself shivering with goose bumps when a long tentacle would brush past her to take hold of whatever she was working on. It was frightening, because she couldn't tell if Kakuzu had actually believed her the night before, or was simple having fun giving her multiple heart attacks and leading her on.

"Kumiko," he said later that afternoon. "I'll be leaving tomorrow morning. Based on my reports the Leader believes you will be finished within the next watch. Of course, you have all the time you need, but we are getting a little impatient, so I suggest you hurry it up."

Kumiko nodded. Her breath had been stolen away and she found she could not speak to the stitched monster without revealing the pitiful terror in her voice. She was also afraid to speak because one wrong move may tip the scales, as he had said, and then he would eat her heart.

Kakuzu chuckled from behind her. "Am I scaring you? I can hear it in your quickening heart-beat. I'll admit that Hidan was not entirely at fault, it's quite hard not to like you. His little rampage was a way or showing his affection; it's an honor to have him wanting you so desperately as a sacrifice. And me? Well, I can't help frightening you so I can hear that thumping heart in your chest. It would be a shame to leave it behind…"

Those last words were spoken closer behind Kumiko than she would have liked. She gripped her wrench tightly and waited to see if Kakuzu would attack her or not. His voice sounded dangerously close to the edge.

"Well, keep working," he said after a few moments. "You're next babysitter was going to be Kisame but that Uchiha threw a fit and begged the leader to let him come instead."

Kumiko dropped her wrench. "Itachi!" she choked out.

Kakuzu had turned his back and begun moving toward the edge of the cavern but stopped when he head Kumiko speak.

She turned around and gripped the edges of her chair. "No, anyone but him. If you let him in here he'll kill me!"

Kakuzu saw more fear and pleading in her eyes than when he approached her the night before. It amused him and made him feel a little bit jealous. Why the Uchiha?

He smiled. "Sorry, but you'll have to deal with that on your own," he said, and then disappeared down one of the corridors.

………………………………

Kumiko paced her room.

_What to do?_

The relief she would have felt from surviving Kakuzu was nowhere to be found because she had been immediately assaulted by a much more serious problem. She ran up to the wall and punched it hard, scraping her knuckles against the rough stone.

"Chikushou!"

So far she had been extremely lucky with her time in the Akatsuki lair. Deidara had been kind, a miracle occurred and fended off Hidan, and she gotten past Kakuzu by the skin of her teeth. But Itachi…there was no doubt he'd kill her. She made a fool of him those many years ago, and the proud Uchiha wouldn't stop until he had her in his grasp. Kumiko looked down to find that one of her knuckles was bleeding.

_That's it!_

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a crumpled sheet of paper and smoothed it out. After laying it on the bed she quickly checked the corners of her room, afraid that Kakuzu may be lurking in the shadows as he had been the night before. She let a droplet of her blood fall inside the circle of symbols on the paper.

"D-Deidara!" she said.

There was a poof of smoke, a popping sound, and Deidara's hologram appeared. He quickly looked around the room, and then focused back onto Kumiko. "You had better be in trouble, hn."

"Deidara, Kakuzu is leaving and the next member coming is Itachi. Please, I need someone else. Anyone else! Itachi will kill me."

Deidara was silent. "Kumiko, all the members could kill you. Why do you fear Itachi? I would think he's sane enough to let you finish the project, unlike some of the others, hn."

"No, no! Itachi _will _kill me. A long time ago someone was snooping around outside of Konoha's walls. Thinking it was a common thief I went to find that person, this was even before I became a ninja. It was Itachi. I uh…kicked him in the nuts and was saved by a friend at the last second. He swore then that he'd kill. He'll do it regardless of his orders."

Deidara watched her for a few moments, then sighed. "Don't touch that parchment. I'll see what I can do."

He disappeared and Kumiko was left alone. After a few minutes passed she stood and began pacing around the room, she was getting a headache. If Deidara couldn't help her, than Kumiko would have to face Itachi head-on. The thought was not a good one. What she presumed was about two hours went by before she heard a popping sound and Deidara re-appeared.

"I talked to the Leader. He wasn't too happy, but when I explained your reaction to Itachi's name he thought it over. Originally he picked Kisame because he would have been your safest bet, hn, but he already took over Itachi's mission and is too far away to come back. The only one who's free is…Zetsu."

"I don't care who it is, just anyone but that Uchiha!"

"Zetsu is a _cannibal _Kumiko-chan."

Kumiko stopped pacing, glanced at Deidara, then sat down on her bed.

"He's half plant half man and through walls. He's the one who cleans up after our missions. He _eats _our victims."

A cannibal…it seemed more dangerous than Itachi; he was at least a human. It was risky but Kumiko could only cling to the hope that Zetsu was loyal enough to quiet his hunger. It would only be for a few days anyway. The Bakushinchi was almost complete.

"Do it. It won't be the first time I've felt threatened here," she said.

Deidara didn't move and watched Kumiko as she fiddled nervously with her hands. She looked skinny and tired, with dark rings around her eyes. Though Kakuzu gave her enough sleep she looked haggard from the constant fear that wafted through her prison. She had not seen the light for far too many days. And those red stains on her clothes…

"Hidan tried to kill you, didn't he?"

Kumiko nodded.

"He's in a lot of trouble but I asked Kakuzu and he said Hidan had been decapitated before he got there. Kumiko, how?"

"I don't know," she replied.

"It's alright; you don't have to worry about being punished."

"I said I don't know. Maybe it really was Kakuzu and he just didn't want the Leader to know he beat up his partner."

"Kakuzu hurts Hidan all the time and no one cares, hn. He didn't do it. _You _did it."

"I don't know, I don't know! Maybe I was lucky?"

"Luck could never bring you out of that situation alive."

Kumiko grabbed her head and rubbed her temples. "I feel like my head is about to split open."

The blonde Akatsuki tried to move toward her but his limbs simply churned through the air while his shadow remained above the bloodied piece of parchment.

"Alright, I won't ask anymore. I'll convince the leader to have Zetsu come instead. But you better not die! This was a lot of trouble for me, hn. And Itachi hates me enough already."

Kumiko turned to Deidara's dark figure. "Then why are you doing it, Deidara-kun?"

He jumped when she said his name, and thought hard about his answer. "You…the world needs more people like you. We've targeted and kidnapped so many people but there are few who don't just curl up and quake with fear, and even fewer who can put up a good fight. It's so damn boring, hn! What's the good of being a criminal when there's no competition? You're young, and obviously no match for us, yet you try. I wouldn't be surprised if you have some sneaky plan up your sleeve to blow this whole place up."

Kumiko flinched.

"But I want to let you do it. I want you to escape, and go train other shinobi not to be a bunch of sissies, or whatever, hn. Just don't come anywhere near the Akatsuki ever again, or we really will kill you."

"Thanks, Dei-kun," Kumiko said, and smiled up at him.

"Baka! Don't call me that! I'm leaving, hn. You're on your own now," he said, and disappeared.

……………………………………………

That night Kumiko could not sleep at all. Though she had forgotten about Deidara's parchment in her pocket, now, without its comforting weight she felt very much alone. She spent too many days alone in an unfriendly darkness. She missed her home in Konoha, all her friends: Lee's crazy energy, Shikamaru's light annoyance, and even Neji's cold shoulder. She couldn't imagine what they must be going through back in Konoha, and she was almost certain that they had come looking for her.

Though she wanted nothing more than for them to come and rescue her, she hoped that they would not find her. The Akatsuki would kill them; they held no value in their eyes. Besides, she knew she must deal with the Akatsuki on her own, because it was her and her danger only. After a long time of restless tossing and turning, Kumiko left her room and entered into the cavern. She sat down on her chair and started working on the Bakushichi.

...

Ack, sorry for the Dei fans who don't like this depiction. I know it may seem a little bit OOC but I think out of all the members he's the most capable of acting like this.


	50. Meanwhile

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Meanwhile…

"Tsunade-sama! This is insane, there's no way they can…"

"Shizune! Shut up, you're giving me a headache."

"But Tsunade-sama!"

"Shizune! I won't say it again. Besides, do you really think it would stop them if I had refused?"

…………………….

"Quickly quickly!"

"Calm down Lee. It won't help anyone if we search too hastily."

Lee was leaping much too quickly from tree to tree and the other shinobi were having trouble keeping up with him. The moment the village figured out that Kumiko had been kidnapped by the Akatsuki, Lee begged Tsunade to permit him to go after her. After much quarreling and a lot of shouting Tsunade allowed Lee to be the leader of a four man team to chase after her. That team was Lee, Neji, Shikamaru and Hinata. Many more wanted to come as well but in the end Tsunade allowed only four because the others were already on missions or may be needed for others.

Kakashi wanted to go as well but he had already been assigned to another mission, so he lent his support by summoning Pakkun to track her. After Lee kicked down Kumiko's door and gave Pakkun a shirts of hers to smell, the team left right away. It had been three weeks since they saw the gates of Konoha. Pakkun was having trouble following her scent, and they had gotten off track more than a few times. The fifth had tried to call them back twice, telling them to let another team take over. But all of them refused.

"Please Lee, slow down," Neji said again and placed a hand on Lee's shoulder.

"You're the leader but I suggest that we stop for a rest. Pakkun lost the scent again. Let's rest," Shikamaru said.

The company slowed their mad dashing through the forest and came to a stop. They set up a small camp under a large tree and began to unroll the sleeping-bags. Lee couldn't keep still and ended up pacing around the site, getting in everyone's way. But no one complained to him, they all had the same feeling.

"I promised her that we'd become ninja together," Lee said quietly into the fire. "We'd be the team of self-made shinobi. Without her…then it's just me."

As they were lying down to sleep, Hinata thought she head the soft whisper of running water.

_We must be near a river, _she thought, before drifting off to sleep.

……………….. ……………..

Kumiko woke to the scent of leaves. It was faint, but her nose, denied the outside air for so long, could smell even the tiniest drop. She stirred and lifted her head from the arm and sat up. Her back ached from falling asleep on the floor of the cavern. There were voices whispering.

**"****She's awake."**

"Let's not bother her."

**"But we have to introduce ourselves."**

"I guess…"

The two voices sounded very similar. Kumiko was confused, were there two people in the room? Suddenly the floor in front of her rippled and something began to rise out of the ground. When it was standing at its full height Kumiko stared up in awe.

"I'm Zetsu."

He was green and…a plant. The leaves on either side of his head looked like enormous teeth and his small yellow eyes peered out at her from amidst sea-green hair and a black and white face. Deidara was right, he was terrifying.

"Don't worry, we won't eat you," he said when Kumiko didn't respond.

**"****Unfortunately…"**

There was that other voice again. It came from Zetsu, she knew because his lips moved, but it sounded like a different person.

"What the Leader wants, the Leader gets," he continued.

**"****But if you try to escape we're free to do as we want."**

The other voice, the darker one, seemed more menacing than the other.

"So continue your work, and we'll just keep an eye on you until you're finished."

**"****And remember, you never know where we might be hiding."**

On his last word Zetu began to sink back into the ground, disappearing slowly until the floor stopped rippling and it looked the same as it had before.

Zetsu seemed stable enough, at least the lighter side, and she was sure she could finish her work without getting into trouble, as she had twice before. If she had calculated correctly, she need only two more days of work before the Bakushinchi was finished.

That night she mustered up the courage to inform the plant-man of this when he brought her dinner. He nodded: "Very well, the Akatsuki will meet in two days."

**"You better finish by then."**

"I will," she replied.

_And so will you be… _she thought to herself.


	51. Combustion Extraction and Incarceration1

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Combustion, Extraction, and Incarceration

Kumiko stood before the Bakushinchi, as the cavern was suddenly lit fiercely by hundreds of candles, all of them pointing toward the center. The light was so bright Kumiko couldn't see what lie beyond, almost as if she was on a stage. She left that glare and glanced around nervously, unsure of who would show up in person. Though it was terrifying to think of all eight Akatsuki members standing in the flesh before her, Kumiko hoped that they would come, so she could blow all of them to hell together. In her pocket she fiddled with the remote control, running her finger gently across the button that would set off the Bakushinchi.

Somewhere off in the corner, Zetsu was lurking in the shadows, watching her and waiting for the meeting to begin. Kumiko was nervous; how would they test her machine? Surely they wouldn't test it on one of the members. She didn't have to wait long to find out, though, because suddenly Zetsu materialized in front of her.

"They're here."

Kumiko gazed up at the stone fingers. First came the Leader, unfortunately he was a hologram, but Kumiko expected that much anyway. Next came Kakuzu and Hidan, both holograms, then Sasori and Deidara and Kisame, also holograms. Finally there was Itachi. Kumiko sucked in her breath; Itachi was real, standing atop the stone hand, glaring at her.

"Impressive," the Leader said, breaking the silence in the cavern. "It looks good, but the real question is; does it work?"

Kumiko remained silent.

"Turn it on, Kobayashi," the Leader ordered.

Kumiko pulled out her remote and pressed the large red button. The Bakushinchi's three motors started whirring, a light illuminated the glass capsule in the center, and blue electricity sizzled along the outer parts of the metal encasing.

The eyes of the members eyes grew wide as they greedily took in the life of their new toy.

"We-ell done !" the Leader exclaimed happily. "It looks quite terrifying."

Kumiko remained calm. The Leader was pleased, and if he released her as he said he would than she could activate the Bakushinchi while far away from the lair and not have to worry about escape.

"However,"

She snapped her head up.

"We can't really know if works or not until we transplant a Jinchuuriki. So we're going to extend your stay with us here for, oh, three or four years. Don't worry, I'll make sure you're treated…okay."

Zetsu appeared behind her and stood close, his breath tickling the back of her neck.

"**Come along now," **his dark side said gleefully.

"One moment," the Leader said. "Before you go, tell us what you named this machine."

Kumiko gripped the remote tightly. Most likely she'd be killed, by the explosion or otherwise, but at least she would go out with a bang.

"The Bakushinchi," she answered.

She had hoped that more of the members would have been present in the flesh, but then again a little explosion probably wouldn't have been enough to take them out anyway.

"The Center of Explosion?" The Leader asked, confused.

Kumiko looked around the circle of members, as one by one they understood. Her moment had finally arrived, and she could have sworn that Deidara was smiling.

"Yeah, the center of explosion," she said and pressed the other button. "See you in hell."

The electricity grew stronger as the fourth motor turned on. The hair on Kumiko's head stood on end as the room became saturated with energy. These few seconds were enough to allow Kumiko to grab Kiseki no Yochi and open the umbrella over her head.

"God fuckin' damn," Hidan exclaimed, as the machine caught on fire and exploded.

…………………………..………………………..

Kumiko almost lost her hold on Kiseki during the explosion's impact. The metal around her grew red hot, illuminating her crouching figure so she could see her own dirt-streaked trembling knees below her. She kept as still as possible, knowing that if any part of her skin touched the metal she would be both burned and electrocuted.

She listened carefully to the noise outside. After a few minutes the din died down and she took a deep breath, then leapt out from under Kiseki and started running. She had to escape the lair in the brief period between the explosion and when the stone walls around her would begin to melt into liquid hot lava, and incinerate her. She only looked straight ahead, not bothering to see if she had caught Zetsu or Itachi in the explosion, and dashed into the corridor which led to the outside.

Sweat streamed down the sides of her face as the corridor's temperature quickly began to rise. The ground underneath her feet sizzled and sunk slightly when her sandals touched, and the smell of sulfur assaulted her nostrils preventing her from knowing how close she was to the outside.

Kumiko started to choke from lack of oxygen, gritted her teeth and continued running, knowing that to stop was to die. And just as she was about to collapse she heard a squishing sound and looked down to find damp grass underneath her feet. She fell to her knees and turned around.

She had exited from a hole in the ground, behind which was a slow flowing river, and then a small mountain. A red light burned from the inside of the corridor, slicing the night darkness, and the tunnel under the river opened and sucked the water inside. The river started to boil, spurting steam from frothy bubbles, and Kumiko stumbled backwards to avoid being scalded. The mountain began to melt.

Kumiko wanted to admire her destruction, but she forced herself to stand and turn away. Her sandals had melted, she was gasping for breath, and had burnt her arm on her way out of the corridor. But still she stumbled forward, determined to find a village before any of the Akatsuki could find her. Who knows how close any of them could be?

She headed for the forest and allowed the trees to swallow her whole.


	52. Combustion Extraction and Incarceration2

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Combustion, Extraction, and Incarceration (chap.2)

There was a sound to her left. Kumiko halted and tried to listen over her raspy breath but heard nothing. Her stumbling grew more frantic as images of nameless fears flitted through her mind. Anything could kill her now; she was broken and vulnerable.

A twig snapped and Kumiko immediately started to run, barefoot across the rough forest floor, working off nothing but her fear. She could feel it. It was _him. _She reached into her bag and fumbled for Kiseki no Yochi, but found her still hot to the touch, buttons melted and jamming the gears. So instead, Kumiko pulled out a wrench and held it close.

She focused on a tree ahead of her and ran right for it. At the last second she swerved to the right and grabbed hold of its trunk, then swung around to deliver a flying kick to the man who was hiding behind it.

Itachi grunted and fell to the ground, and Kumiko came down after him, holding in her cry of pain as her ankle twisted and she landed hard on her hip.

………………………………………………..

"Wake up! Did you hear that?" Lee shouted as he shook Neji. "It has to be her," he said as he frantically woke the others.

"Lee, how do you know…" Shikamaru began, but Neji cut him off.

"It's her," he said, looking off into the distance with his Byakugan eyes. "Only she could have done that."

They were up and running, at first following Neji's eyes, than simply their ears and the red glow ahead of them.

…………………………………………………

Kumiko heard a slight smirk from above her and saw Itachi staring down at her, as the fake one disappeared.

"Clever trick you pulled," he said. "But it accomplished nothing. We have dozens of hideouts located everywhere. And, of course, you failed to kill any of the members."

Kumiko swung her arm up at him with all her strength and hurled the wrench at Itachi's head. He simply stepped to the side and smiled. Kumiko then rolled away across the ground as he fell on her with a kunai and plunged it into the ground.

……………………………………………….

The Konoha nin came upon the river which had turned into a bubbling whirlpool and started wide-eyed up at the mountain. It was collapsing into itself, spitting out red lava, and looked like a reverse volcano.

"K-Kumiko-chan!" Hinata explaimed and covered her mouth with her hands.

Lee clenched his fists and Neji frantically searched the chaos in front of him. Shikamaru looked around him, and his eye caught a depression in the mud below him and a single melted sandal that was stuck inside. He crouched down to examine it.

………………………………

"Stay still so I can kill you," Itachi hissed.

Kumiko brought her good foot around and swiped it under Itachi's legs, causing him to fall over backwards. She was on him in a second, ignoring her pain, and brought the wrench down on his face. Itachi grabbed her wrist and Kumiko struggled to break free but could not.

"You've gotten stronger. Last time you just waited for me to kill you, so I didn't even bother to use a clone, thinking you would be too weak to move."

He applied pressure to her wrist and started to twist it.

"But it doesn't matter. I can still kill you easily."

…………………………………………………

"I can't see her anywhere," Neji said.

"Just keep looking," Shikamaru replied.

Hinata had her eyes trained on the ground, leading the group on a crash course through the forest, hoping to find the owner of the footprints at the end of the road. Behind them the mountain was still glowing and spitting out fire. But the noise was slowly growing fainter, as the canopy eagerly lapped up the sound and light.

"Wait, I see something!" she cried.

…………………………………………..

Kumiko dropped the wrench and clutched at her wrist. Itachi had broken it. He had flipped her over and was now kneeling above her. There was no expression on his face.

"This time no one is here to save you."

Kumiko felt herself being forced to look up at him, and started to fall into his Sharingan eyes.

Itachi was right, this time no one would help her. She was miles away from Konoha, amongst darkened trees, unknown villages, without a friend in sight. And where was her miracle that had saved her from Hidan? From the monster within the Forest of Death.

Suddenly Itachi was flung off of her. A dark blur had tackled him and engaged him in a close up battle. The Uchiha snarled, showing his teeth, as the attacker dodged his thrusts and avoided his eyes. Kumiko tried to see the attacker's face, but it was too dark inside the forest. And she felt so tired…

"Chikushou, you were lucky again," Itachi said, as the attacker stood between him and his prey. "But one day you'll be mine, Kobayashi Kumiko. I look forward to when we meet again."

He quickly made a hand signal and then disappeared.

Her savior appeared beside her and lifted her off the ground. "Thank you," she managed to say, before passing out.

………………………………………………….

They came upon a patch of broken trees and trampled dirt.

"What's wrong, Hinata?" Shikamaru asked when she looked up from the ground.

"The footsteps are gone," she answered, bewildered.

Lee sat on the ground and put his head in his hands. Neji gazed around him in all directions, refusing to believe the nothingness that he saw. Hinata sniffled.

"Chikushou!" Shikamaru screamed, and kicked at the ground.


	53. Viper's Nest, 1

Hey everyone, so I was away for the past 6 days with no internet and that's why there were no updates. But now I'm back and here's the next chapter!

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Viper's Nest (chap.1)

When Kumiko opened her eyes she wasn't sure is she had dreamt her escape or not. The room she was in looked just like her prison in the Akatsuki. But it wasn't quite the same: the pattern on the walls was different and torches instead of candles were hanging from the fixtures. Kumiko tried to sit up but her head began to spin and her body felt as though it was filled with lead. She resisted the urge to throw up and fell back down onto her pillow.

"It's only a sedative to keep you from escaping."

_That voice…I know that voice._

Something flashed in the corner of the room and fingers pushed glasses up the bridge of a nose. Kabuto grinned with nothing but morbid satisfaction lurking behind his pearly whites. Kumiko wondered how anyone could ever have fallen for his deceptive tricks when he wafted such malice. The two shinobi stared at one another for a few tense moments before Kabuto leaned away from the wall and approached Kumiko lying on the bed.

"Aren't you going to thank me?" he asked. "I stuck out my neck to get you away from that criminal."

Kumiko continued to watch him silently as he sat down on the bed.

"No? Well that's alright because I did it only so I could kill you myself."

Kumiko flinched when Kabuto absently traced his fingertip up her arm, then placed his hand gently around her throat.

"You were right, though, that time in Konoha. It wasn't a fair battle. You had just become a chunnin and I was the assistant to the infamous snake Sannin." He chuckled. "But now," he said and squeezed her throat tighter. "You've made quite an impressive name for yourself. So I've decided to set up a little game to test your skill against mine."

Kumiko grabbed his wrist and managed to pry his hand away from her throat. Kabuto scowled and pinned her wrists to the bed and swung a leg over to straddle her laying figure.

"Don't be ungrateful Kobayashi. I could just choke you to death right here, but I'm giving you a chance."

Kumiko struggled but couldn't break free from Kabuto's grasp,

"Here are the rules: if you can find your way out of Orochimaru-sama's labyrinth in two days, than you win and I'll let you go. But if you don't," he said, and leaned down so close that his face was merely inches above hers. "Then you're mine."

Kumiko growled and spat at his face. Kabuto sat up, surprised, with a thick glob of spittle dripping from his left lens. He took off his glasses and calmly wiped them clean.

"Ah yes," he sighed, putting them back on and pushing them up the bridge of his nose. "That's also part of your reputation."

He stood up off the bed and walked toward the door and opened it, then turned around before exiting.

"That'll wear off in the morning. You time starts then so make sure you don't sleep in too late. I salvaged your pack for you in the woods, a ninja needs her tools. Oh yes, and if you should encounter anyone else in the lair…it's not my fault if they try to kill you."

The door shut and Kumiko was alone.

……………………………………………………………..

The next morning she was awakened by the door opening and closing. She peered over the end of the bed and saw that someone had left her a lunchbox with enough food to last her two days. She was surprised that Kabuto had even bothered, and figured he must really be serious about putting them on equal terms.

Kumiko wasted no time and swung herself out of bed. She noticed that he had wrapped up her ankle and wrist and fixed the breakage so she could walk without pain. She took a quick inventory of her tools but there wasn't much; Kiseki was ruined, and most regrettably her infrared goggles were back in Konoha. Kumiko took out a rag and polished one side of her wrench so she could see her reflection, set her stop watch o count down from 48 hours, then slowly opened the door.

Holding the wrench at an angle, she peered around the corner, than when deeming it empty stepped out into the hallway and closed the door. She rummaged through her bag for a small black-light flashlight that she used to check her shed for leaks of hazardous substances and ran it along the ground and walls, searching for any clue of something out of place, then began walking forward.

She had heard rumors about Orochimaru's lair. Not only was it an enormous underground labyrinth, that housed hundreds of rooms, some of them empty and other full of who knows what, but it was also full of traps. Naruto and Sakura had barely escaped from it and they were accompanied by the Sannin Jiraiya. And another thing, they had been sneaking in, and Kumiko was sneaking out with a very angry medical shinobi doing whatever he could to keep her there.

All of these thoughts made her stop in her tracks and crouch down against the wall. Her calm was nearing its limit. Just how much fear and despair could one endure? She was up against something way beyond her; what chance did she have? As she clenched her hair in her hands Lee's voice came into her mind.

"_What are you doing?" _he asked. "_You are the famous gadget nin. There's no problem you can't solve. You just blew up an entire Akatsuki hideout; you turned a mountain in a volcano. Not just anyone can do that."_

"I just want to go home," Kumiko sniffled into the empty air.

"_I want you to come home too."_

Kumiko stood up and wiped her eyes.

_That's right, Lee an everyone else is waiting for me. Giving up now means nothing but death._

She switched on her black-light and spotted a tripwire a hairs breadth away from her toe. She stepped over carefully and continued to wander through the corridors.

...

By the time her watch read 36 hours Kumiko had found a pattern. It was impossible to keep track of where she had been because the only way to mark the wall was to hack at it with her wrench. Doing so would attract unwanted attention. She had to be wary, Kabuto said there were others in the lair… A chill ran up her spine as the face of the dangerous snake Sannin came into her mind. If there was anyone she hoped to never lay eyes on, it was Orochimaru.

Kumiko reached a fork in the road and started down the right passageway, and kept careful track of the complexity and diligence of the traps laid there. Then she turned around and entered the left passageway. The second fork's traps were concealed more cleverly, so Kumiko continued in that direction. This was how she had decided to choose her way. It was risky, but the only pattern she could find and follow.

She round a corner and felt a second chill run up then back down her spine. Quickly, she turned around and gazed down the darkened corridor, then again in front of her. Kumiko returned to searching the ground and spotted a particularly tricky one hiding high up on the wall. She stepped to the side to avoid it when she heard distant footsteps. Panic stricken, she fumbled to switch off her black-light and looked around for somewhere to hide. The corridor was dim but bright enough so she couldn't crouch within its shadows, and she had not passed any doorways down this particular corridor. With nothing else to do, Kumiko switched he light back on and as quickly and quietly as possible continued forward.

She moved away from the direction she had heard the footsteps, not allowing her fear to cloud her judgment and eyes. Just as she came upon another split she heard the footsteps again, this time close, but she was already rushing down one of the passageways and couldn't stop.

Her black-light clattered to the floor.

Orochimaru had stopped walking and seemed just as surprised to see Kumiko as she was to see him. She trembled slightly as they stared at one another. Suddenly his tongue shot out and wrapped around her neck and she struggled vainly against its hold.

"Who are you?" he said.

Kumiko coughed and sputtered, unable to answer, not knowing what answer would the right one. But then her neck was released and she gasped.

"Oh that's right, you're Kabuto's new toy," he said. "Hmph, he's still a child after all."

Kumiko held onto her neck. Without giving her another glance Orochimaru continued walking by. "I have no interest in you," he said, and though insulting, it was music to Kumiko's ears.

Once his footsteps had faded into the distance Kumiko let out the breath she had been holding and continued on. The encounter was frightening, but left her more confident of her escape than before.

……………………………………………………….

"Where are you?"

"Over here!"

Lee ran through darkened corridors, hopelessly lost in an unknown maze. Pakkun had found Kumiko's scent once again after two full hours of despair in the forest, and then continued on a straight course to where they were now. Whoever had taken her didn't even try to conceal his or her tracks. The four shinobi had become separated after a trap scattered them in all directions.

"Neji I cannot find you!"

"Follow my voice, I can see you."

Lee skidded around corners and bounded down hallways following the sound of Neji's voice who guided him through the maze.

"I see you Neji!" Lee shouted and increased his speed.

Suddenly the ground below him fell away. Neji lunged forward but missed Lee's hand by a hair's breadth. When the corridor was once against silent he called down into the pit.

"Lee, where are you? Lee!"


	54. Viper's Nest, 2

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Viper's Nest (chap.2)

Kumiko opened one of the doors when her watch hit 24 hours. She had walked for what seemed like miles and felt as though she was moving in wider and wider circles. Of course it was impossible to know for sure, but Kumiko guessed that the labyrinth was in the shape of a circle, and Kabuto had placed her in the center. And the only way out was to spiral around until one reached the outside edges.

She was reluctant to sleep because time was running short, but decided that it would be more dangerous to keep moving with a sleepy mind than to rest for a few hours. So she laid down upon the hard bed in the little room then woke at 18 hours and continued on quickly, anxious to escape this long and complicated nightmare.

………………………………………………………………………….

By 12 hours she had robotized. The motions were so familiar that Kumiko no longer had to think, and simply made the motions. At 8 hours she realized that that if something didn't happen soon she wasn't going to made it out, and just as this thought was flitting dangerously through her mind she stumbled into a large room. It was empty save for columns that lines its edges and a figure standing in the middle, gazing up at a carving on the ceiling. The figure turned to face her at the sound of her footsteps, and looked at her with no expression on his face at all. It was startling, how much he changed, but then again he hadn't changed at all.

"If you've come to bring me back you've just wasted your time,"

Uchiha Sasuke had never been a friend of Kumiko's. He was exactly the sort of person she wanted nothing to do with at all.

"Don't be egotistical," she replied. "I'm glad you left."

Kumiko believed Naruto and Sakura were better off without him. He who spoilt the air with malice and mal-content. But because of his abandonment they were now living a life of hopeless love and sullied friendship. If she could bring him back, though, she would, since the two were hopeless without him. But the thought didn't cross her mind here, because it was an impossible notion.

Sasuke grunted and turned back around, signaling that he wanted Kumiko to leave. She didn't, however, but she was running very short on time. After pocketing her pocketing her black-light Kumiko walked through the room towards the missing nin, her bare feet slapping on the floor and echoing off the walls.

"You want to know how I hurt my ankle?" she asked when he came up beside him.

Sasuke ignored her.

"I broke it when I landed a flying kick to Itachi's head."

Sasuke whirled around and grabbed onto her arm, bruising it with his clutching fingers. Kumiko ignored the pain and started to laugh.

"Not so fast, Sasuke-kun."

He growled at her and squeezed her arm tighter.

"If you help me than I'll help you. Let go, now."

Sasuke immediately released her and stared at her menacingly.

"You lead me out of here safely and I'll tell you when and where I saw your brother."

Sasuke's eye twitched slightly. "Tell me first, and then I'll lead you out," he replied.

Kumiko shook her head. "Not on your life. I know you Uchiha Sasuke, your promises are as empty as your brother's."

Sasuke took a step toward her. "I am nothing like my brother," he said warningly.

Kumiko stepped forward as well and poked him in the chest. "Cut the crap asshole. You've been following in his footsteps ever since you set your mind on revenge. Everything you've done you did for your own selfish desires. You've become a missing nin and hated traitor of Konoha.

You abandoned those who loved you as Itachi abandoned those who loved him, especially his little brother. I've seen both you and your brother's ugly red eyes up close and personal: there's no difference between them. You're completely and utterly the same, down to the very last cell."

Sasuke swung his hand out to slap her but Kumiko dodged and twisted his arm around his back.

"Even now, when I'm deep inside the bowels of your master's hidden lair, you underestimate me. I'm a well known shinobi now, you prick, treat me like one."

She let him go and they stared at one another. Normally her outburst would have driven Sasuke to attack her, but Kumiko was withholding valuable information. She noticed that some of what she said he had listened to, because he was watching her now more warily. The last time he saw her she wasn't even a ninja, just a girl who had a bad temper and played around with construction tools. but now, she had somehow gotten into Orochimaru's lair, and even claimed to have landed a kick to Itachi.

"Why are you here?" he asked coldly.

"Your stupid medical nin has something against me," she replied. "Now hurry up. My time is running short."

Sasuke hesitated for a few seconds, deciding if he would degrade himself to taking orders from this girl or not, but Itachi was trump (as Kumiko knew from the very beginning) and he swallowed his pride.

"This way."

……………………………………………………………..

Kumiko found that her method had been correct, about following the path with the more difficult traps. But as Sasuke led her further from the large room the traps became so cunning and skillfully hidden for a moment she thought they had completely disappeared. She was grateful that she had come upon Sasuke or it would have taken her more time than she had to make her way out.

She kept an eye on the former nin of Konoha's back, still not completely trusting him, and as they neared her goal Kumiko began to wonder if Kabuto would honor his side of the deal and really let her go. The traps were so ridiculously complicated that the only way through would be to already know where they were. Her fears of treachery were strengthened when they reached a dead end and Sasuke made a hand signal to open the door and lead her out into sunshine.

He turned to her as she squinted into the sun, the rays of which she had not seen for so long she almost forgot what it felt like. He waited, but she had other things on her mind. Kabuto had made it impossible to escape. The way out was shut to everyone other than Sasuke, his master, and himself. Sasuke made an impatient noise in the back of his throat. Kumiko quickly told him what he needed to know and he grunted, then disappeared in a cloud of smoke. When he was gone she uneasily began to cross the meadows which she had emerged upon, mind too flustered to congratulate herself on her escape.

Then, just as she expected, Kabuto appeared in front of her, eyes furrowed in rage.

...

eh hehe I didn't realize how creepy I made Kabuto in the pervious chapter until I read it over again. --


	55. From One Nightmare to Another, 1

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: From One Nightmare to Another

Kumiko bent her knees and crouched in a ready position though she had nothing with which to defend herself. Kabuto shook furiously for a few moments before he was able to calm himself, and spoke.

"Very clever," he hissed. "I never thought you'd find Sasuke, let alone blackmail him into helping you. Your victory, however, ends here."

"You promised…" Kumiko began.

"I promised nothing!" he shouted at her. "That's twice you made a fool of me and I intend to make absolutely sure it will never happen again."

Kumiko yelped as a shadow clone snuck up behind her and tackled her to the ground. The real Kabuto rushed forward and tied her hands to her sides and her feet together as the other held her down.

"Now then, why don't we step into my laboratory," he growled as they lifted her from the ground and dragged her back down into the lair and back into darkness.

They threw her onto the floor of a dimply lit room and tied her to a column by the wall. The shadows clone disappeared with a grunt when Kumiko head-butted it and Kabuto struggled to force her into a sitting position on his own. When he finished he stood and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"You're being difficult."

One wall of the room was full of machinery and a few monitors that looked on different sections of the labyrinth. There was also a hospital bed sitting in the center, covered by an off white sheet. Unlike all the other rooms in the lair, this one had an electrical light, which Kabuto flipped on.

"Don't worry I'm not going to kill you right away," he said. "I have a surprise for you first."

He turned and approached the hospital bed and Kumiko fearfully watched, knowing that something horrible must be hidden beneath the rough looking cloth. Kabuto whisked off the covering and she let out a whimpering noise when she saw what was lying underneath.

Lee stared defiantly up at the silver-haired shinobi. He was gagged and bound tightly to the hospital bed in such a way not even he could hope to break free.

"Lee!"

Startled, he whipped his head to the side and struggled against his bonds when he saw Kumiko. Kabuto removed his gag.

"Kumiko-san, Kumiko-san! You're alright!"

Kabuto chuckled. "My, my, isn't this adorable?"

Kabuto walked over to a medicine cabinet and rummaged through the contents before pulling out a long needle. He then inserted a capsule full of a red liquid that had been lying on the counter-top into the needle and squirted some of the substance out from the tip.

"I know you Kobayashi. Simply breaking you physically would be no fun at all. I have to break you mentally."

"No Kabuto, please, I'll do anything," she pleaded.

"Don't worry about me," Lee said. "You worry about figuring a way out of here."

Lee's words echoed the ones she had imagined a few days before while despairing on the side of the wall. Ever since Hidan had arrived to watch over her, Kumiko had prepared herself to face death. She promised to fight until every last bit of strength left her body, but also did not fear the ominous presence of death. But never did she consider that she might bring one of her friends down with her. It scared her more than any promise of death and tore down her iron resolve as if it were simply a piece of cloth.

"There's nothing you can offer that would give me more pleasure that watching you watch a friend die before your eyes," Kabuto snarled and approached the bed. "You may think you're worthy to be a great ninja, but you know nothing of true pain. You hold your friends too closely; you're too soft."

He stopped and towered above Lee who wasn't looking at him at all, instead he was staring at Kumiko.

"Please…Kabuto…"

"This 'medicine' here is one of my very own creations. When added directly into the blood stream it begins to clot all the chakra channels, one by one, slowly, then moves on to clot the blood vessels themselves, ending with the heart valves," Kabuto explained. "It's a very painful way to die."

By now Kumiko's pleadings had faded to a whisper. From up on the table Lee could barely hear her mumbling. Kabuto reached down and grabbed onto Lee's arm and placed the needle point right above his skin. Kumiko snapped her head up and stared at the needle. The room was completely silent.

Kabuto smiled.

_No…_

He placed the needle against Lee's skin.

_No…_

Lee turned his eyes upon the needle, finally aware of what was about to happen to him.

_No…_

Kabuto broke the skin and started slowly pushing the liquid into the leaf nin's body. It was a quarter gone when he heard a snapping sound and looked up just in time to see a pair of red eyes before claws swiped at his arm and knocked the needle out of his grip where it flew through the air and smashed to pieces against the far wall.


	56. From One Nightmare to Another, 2

Hiya everyone! I really wanted to send messages to everyone who has read this far and commented but if it's possible then I don't know how to do it! So I'll say thank you here: THANKS! heehee

Chronicles of Self-Made Shinobi: From One Nightmare to Another (chap.2)

He cried out in pain and clutched at his hand, wrist bleeding profusely onto the ground. Kumiko was up on the hospital bed on all fours, crouched over Lee protectively like a cat. 

Kabuto noticed rope burns where she forced her way through her bindings, and heard her growl deep in her throat. She swiped at his face and Kabuto stumbled backwards, dodging her lengthened nails by only a few inches.

"Wha…" he began, but Kumiko leapt off the bed, twisted in the air and connected her foot with his stomach.

She was so quick Kabuto hadn't the time to pull out a kunai to block and he took the blow, and fell to the ground gasping for breath. He managed to grasp his kunai and threw it forcefully at her, then widened his eyes in surprise when she caught it between her teeth. Kumiko spit it out the kunai and came at him again. He swiped at her with his hand covered in chakra but she dodged and leapt onto the counter. Fingernails clicking on the marble surface, she scurried around the edge of the room, knocking everything off to shatter on the ground, and circled about Kabuto who had managed to stand up.

She bared her teeth at him, revealing elongated canines, and pushed off the counter. She blocked Kabuto's chakra hand but missed his other and he embedded a kunai into her stomach.

Kumiko howled and dropped to the ground. She took hold of the kunai and immediately ripped it out, spurting blood onto the floor. The two shinobi stared each other down, both dripping blood and covered in scratches.

"Calm down, Kobayashi," Kabuto said soothingly, attempting to calm her as he would an animal.

At first he suspected that she had been hiding a Bijuu within her body when she attacked him, but after observing her for ahile he noticed that he didn't sense any demon chakra. This was something else.

There was a loud cry of pain from behind Kabuto, and both the opponents turned their eyes to the bed. Lee's eyes had glazed over with a white-ish substance and he started thrashing against the bonds that held him down. Kabuto was filled with hope. Maybe the pain of her friend would knock Kumiko out of her frenzy, and then she would be no match for him… He ended these thoughts, however, when he turned back to the enraged kunoichi.

Long whiskers had sprouted above her upper lip and the hair on her arms had grown darker and thicker. She was no longer standing, but was coiled on the ground on all fours, tense as a cat waiting to spring upon a mouse.

Kabuto took a step backwards and Kumiko lunged forward and knocked him over, embedding her claws into his chest. A furious scuffle began on the floor as Kabuto tried to rid himself of the furious cat shinobi and dodge her rending claws.

Suddenly the door opened and Orochimaru stepped inside. "Kabuto, what in the world are you doing?"

He stopped when he saw the blurry mass on the floor, and the blood splattered about the room. He humphed angrily and shot out his tongue and wrapped it around Kabuto's attacker and lifted her off him.

"Can't you even keep control over one little girl?"

He hissed in pain as Kumiko stuck her fangs into his tongue and dropped her onto the floor. She landed on her feet and leapt up onto the bed. With a single motion she ripped open Lee's bindings and threw him onto her back. Then, without missing beat, she soared over Kabuto and barreled through Orochimaru who didn't even have time to step aside, and disappeared down the hallway.

Orochimaru stood up and dusted himself off. He looked about the room again and down at his medical nin who was bleeding and gasping with pain on the ground "Very interesting," he said, and cracked a very slight smile.

………………………………………………………..

"Chikushou! There's no other way in," Shimakaru said angrily.

They had been wandering around the area for hours, and even with the combined prowess of the two talented Hyuugas, they couldn't find another entrance. Now they had two people to find and their hope was running out. They were just about to stop for a rest when Hinata screeched and ran off ahead into the surrounding trees. The two male shinobi darted after her.

They emerged onto a dirt road and ground to a halt behind Hinata.

"T-there," she said and pointed ahead.

A humped figure rose up in the distance, outlined by fading sunlight. As they neared, a familiar green suit came into view as well as a pair of cargo pants. They started running toward them as Kumiko collapsed onto the ground.

When they reached their friends they saw Lee was spastically convulsing, spitting white froth from the side of his mouth, fingers and limbs twitching. He was unconscious. Neji knelt down beside Kumiko and turned her over, gasping when blood covered his fingers. The moment he touched her, her eyes, which had been flickering between those of a cat's and her own, changed back to normal.

"P-poisoned…" she gasped and grabbed onto Neji's shirt.

Hinata helped pick Lee up and place him onto Shikamaru's back. Then she tied his legs and arms together around him, to make sure he wouldn't fall off. Neji ripped off his shirt and wrapped it around Kumiko's side and she grunted when he tied it off tightly. Then he lifted her onto his back.

"Don't worry," he said, as they hurried down the road. "We'll get you home."


	57. Home is Where the Heart Lies

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Home is Where the Heart Lies

Kumiko opened her eyes and a wave of nausea hit her. She heaved but nothing happened because there was no food in her stomach. She then lolled her head to the side. For a brief second she saw Shikamaru sleeping in a chair next to her bed before her eyes closed again.

…..…………………………………………

An intense pain hit her side and she started awake and cried out in pain and started thrashing in her bed. Nurses and doctors rushed to her bedside and held her down, and she thought she saw Hinata being dragged out of the room, staring at Kumiko with wide eyes and a hand across her mouth. Something pricked her arm and she collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep.

……………………………………………………………………………

She felt something gently caressing her head. Neji was sitting on the side of her bed. When she opened her eyes and looked up at him he made a choking sound in his throat and his eyes filled with water.

"K-Kumiko-c-chan," he said, and squeezed her hand.

Kumiko tried to answer but suddenly felt very sleepy and drifted away into dreams.

…………………………………………………………………………….

The room was full of sunlight when she opened her eyes. Kumiko felt a dull pain in her side and pulled back the covers to see her wound was tightly bound. She sighed and pulled the sheet back up to her chin.

_How did I get here?_

The last thing she remembered was gathering bugs in the forest with Shino. Then a man with blonde hair had come up the road.

_Deidara._

The events of the past few weeks came rushing back to her: Deidara, Akatsuki, Hidan, Kakuzu, the Bakushinchi. She furrowed her brows as she remembered more. Itachi, Kabuto, Orochimaru, Sasuke.

Lee_._

Kumiko began to panic. She tried to sit up but cringed in pain and fell back down. Tears starting forming in her eyes as she rolled to the side, then stopped.

Lee was lying in the bed next to her. His face was relaxed and his chest rose and fell in breaths from a deep sleep. Attached to his wrist was a large tube that was pumping a clear liquid into his arm. The Fifth was able to save him.

Kumiko lifted her arm and reached out across the space that separated them. Her finger grazed the edge of the bed and she strained desperately out to touch his hand. Her side started throbbing as she rolled to the edge of her bed, and grunted as her fingertips brushed the back of Lee's hand. Kumiko pulled away and looked down at the floor briefly before yanking herself off the edge of the bed. The wires attached to her were ripped away and an alarm sounded in the room. She didn't care. She had to get to Lee.

She clumsily dragged herself across the floor and grabbed onto the bed covers and pulled herself up. The wound in her side started to bleed again and she stained the sheets red. Gathering the last of her strength she swung a leg over the side and pulled herself the rest of the way atop it.

Lee was still sleeping and Kumiko sniffled loudly as she buried her face in his neck and grabbed a handful of his hospital shirt in her fist.

The medics burst into the room and saw and empty bed. They panicked, fearing that one of the nin who had held Kumiko hostage had returned to exact revenge. But then they sighed in relief as they saw two figures in the bed next to hers. She looked so happy curled up next to the Lee that they couldn't bring themselves to remove her, and instead reattached her wiring and let them be.

………………………..…………………………………….

Hinata led Kumiko out of the hospital a few days later, supporting her on her shoulder.

"Ugh, this thing hurts," Kumiko complained.

They walked through the afternoon streets of Konoha, and people came rushing up to them, bowing and thanking the lord that Kumiko had returned safely. She beamed at all of them and breathed 

in Konoha's air, wanting to never step outside its walls again. Hinata brought her to her apartment and helped her to take a shower, the first one she had in far too long.

"When you're done dressing, there's a surprise waiting for you at your shed," Hinata said as she toweled Kumiko's hair dry.

A few minutes later they made their way out of the apartment and over to her shed by the edge of town. Kumiko sighed in delight when its rusted tin roof came into view, feeling as though she had fully returned home. When they came closer they saw Kakashi waiting for them in the shade of the overhang.

"Ah, here you are," he said, snapping his book shut. He smiled under his mask and Kumiko smiled back. "We've got something for you."

He flung aside the doors and Kumiko sucked in her breath. It was squeaky clean. Everything had been polished and arranged neatly upon fixed shelf tops. And twice as many tools than she had before were hanging from the walls.

"Uh-uh, I-I…"

"Courtesy of your friends and also the entire town. When they heard you had returned they all banded together and set about raising money for tools and fixing this shed."

Kumiko tried to stutter a thank you but Kakashi held up his hand. "Wait, there's one more thing."

He led the way around the back of the shed and past Lee's dojo, towards a little clearing where Kumiko tested her larger inventions. As they neared they heard voices.

"They're coming! Quick, cover it up!"

There was much scrambling and a whoosh of fabric, before the three shinobi stepped out into the clearing. In front of them, Neji and Shikamaru were standing side by side, dressed in carpenter's outfits and streaked with dirt and grease. Tools were strewn about all over the grass, and a gigantic blueprint was tacked to an easel off to the side. In the middle something large was covered by tarp.

"It wasn't easy," Neji said.

"But we did it," Shikamaru continued, and smiled.

Before Kumiko could speak they turned and grabbed the corners of the tarp, then whisked it up and off the object allowing it to flutter to the ground behind them.

"Oh my god!" Kumiko exclaimed.

Mikomi sat before her: perfect, finished, and shiny. Kumiko rushed forward, forgetting the pain in her side and walked around the flying machine, checking gears and bolts and wiring.

"You followed my blueprint!" she said in awe.

"You've got messy handwriting," Neji commented, and crossed his arms.

She ran at Shikamaru and jumped into his arms. He wobbled a bit then laughed when she squeezed him tightly. Shikamaru set her down and she turned towards Neji. He looked a bit nervous but Kumiko was too excited to notice, and she caught him in a bear hug.

"Thank you," she said, and kissed him on the cheek.

He stiffened. "N-no problem."

After much laughing and hugging they covered Mikomi and set off into town for lunch and stopped in front of her favorite restaurant.

"Have a good lunch, we'll see you later," Shikamaru said and beamed at her.

Kumiko felt sad that she would be eating lunch alone, but forgot that sadness when she spotted Lee sitting in the corner of the restaurant. She hobbled over and sat down across from him. He looked up from the table and smiled.

"Welcome home, Kumiko-san."

She fought back the urge to sniffle and nodded her head vigorously in reply.

Hey everyone, unfortunately this is the last chapter I have written, but it is not the end! I want to continue the series and I will, but I've hit a huge writer's block and I have to write an essay for the start of school. So if you sit tight, hopefully new chapters will come up soon. Oh, also, if you have any ideas for little missions please let me know and I can put those in before the next big thing. Thanks everyone for reading!!


End file.
